Price of the Sacrifice
by TheProdigy99
Summary: Darth Revan was rampaging across the Galaxy. That's what the Council claimed. But the Jedi Masters refused to acknowledge one thing. Their judgment is not always right and the reality is something more than just black and white, while the Force doesn't have only Dark and the Light Side. Sometimes the difference between the sacrifice and the fall was difficult to see. Revan knew it.
1. Prologue

**Hello, guys, this is my version of what happened during the events of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I'm going to put it a little differently and add some other characters partially or even fully taken from the series Star Wars the Clone Wars. This is my first fanfic ever so please be gentle with me hahaha :D. And just for you to know: I'm not speaking English natively – I'm from Poland so I would like to apologize right now for some mistakes. And I want to ask you guys for comments (both positive and negative alike XD). Okay, I think I've said enough already so… have a nice read :D.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Prologue

Revan was standing on the bridge of his flagship. Through the viewport, he watched the fight between his Sith armada and the Republic Forces. But once for a while, his eyes darted to the other flagship. Leviathan. His former best friend and now his apprentice was commanding this ship. Dark Lord knew that giving commandership to Malak was dangerous at least, but he ignored this little warning in the Force.

And now this warning came back, but stronger. He knew that something wasn't right. He sensed that from Malak's ship. Revan shrugged a little, when the realization of what the Force tried to tell him, dawned on him. Betrayal. Behind his mask, that covered his features, he chuckled slightly. He even almost smirked. Apparently, Malak knew of a Jedi strike team that boarded Revan's ship and decided to use it to his advantage.

Revan cursed himself in his spirit for being so blind up to this moment. He knew that he didn't have much time. He couldn't run away, no, if he used one of the escape pods, he would be captured by the Republic or shot down by Malak's ship. And if he stayed on the bridge, he would have to face this little Jedi strike team that came for him. And this would give his apprentice a perfect opportunity for his act of betrayal.

Dark Lord sighed lightly. As for once in his not that long life he didn't know what to do. Escaping would mean death as well as staying. Revan checked the ship's camera records. The Jedi were close. It would be a matter of few minutes before they appear on the bridge. He sighed again. Right now things started to get a little complicated.

"Admiral," Revan said without even turning to the person he was referring to.

"Yes, my Lord?" a man in his late forties asked.

"Tell your men to head to the hangar and leave the ship". Admiral's face paled lightly at the command. He didn't know what to say or do in this matter.

"B… But my Lord, why?". At this point, Revan turned to the person he was talking to.

"The Jedi are coming here. I don't know what will be the outcome of this but I don't want any of you in here when they arrive. So again, leave the bridge, and head to the hangar" Revan commanded. He didn't want them to die only because of his blindness. Despite what the Jedi Council told about him, he wasn't a monster. Of course, he punished his men who didn't fulfill his orders, but he wasn't going to sentence those who did nothing wrong to death. "This is my last word, Admiral, leave" he repeated. A man, the Dark Lord was referring to, bowed slightly.

"Of course, my Lord". He knew that questioning Revan's orders would be nothing good, even though he wasn't so easily driven mad as Malak was. Then he repeated the commands he got to the personnel of the bridge. In three minutes Revan was left alone.

"Come here," Dark Lord said into his private communicator. The person on the other side said nothing. Instead, doors to the bridge opened and inside came five people. Two Dark Jedi and three soldiers. Revan turned to them. He didn't know those Jedi. They followed him during the Mandalorian Wars, and now they followed him in this war as well. But he didn't bother to get familiar with them.

The soldiers that came with them were his most trusted people in the entire Empire. They served under him in the previous war as well. They were his personal guard and the only ones, besides Malak, who saw him without his mask. During the conflict with the Mandalorians Revan earned their trust and unbroken loyalty, by showing himself as a great warrior and tactician. Since then they followed him everywhere – never questioning his orders. And Dark Lord knew them by names. Rex, Fox, and Wolfie. Well, these weren't their real names but nicknames. Revan didn't want to risk their lives but it was a necessity. They were good men. They weren't loyal to the Republic or to his Sith Empire, no. They were loyal to him. Only to him. And that's why he wasn't beware of a betrayal from their side.

"You two stay with me" he addressed the two Dark Jedi. They bowed their heads for a signal that they understood. "And you will be guarding the main hall to the bridge. We have a company. Republic assumed that I can be captured by a small Jedi team. Your purpose is to weaken them. Try to make their arrival as late as possible. But do not kill them. Leave them to me" Revan said to the three soldiers. The one in white armor with blue marks answered.

"We will, my Lord," he said and they bowed to their leader. Then they turned around to leave the bridge and to take their positions. The Dark Lord of the Sith once again turned to the viewport. The only thing he could do now was to wait.

* * *

Bastila sighed heavily. She was leading her team on the most difficult task ever given during this war. Capture Darth Revan. She cursed mentally at the image that appeared in her head. A memory. Of her and the present Dark Lord on the plains of Dantooine. They used to sneak out from the enclave after their training to relax a bit and to spend some time with each other. They were close friends. She, Revan, Malak, previously known as Alek, and Meetra –the Jedi Exile. Even though she was younger, she developed a close relationship with the man she came to capture. It's possible to say they were lovers, even if it was forbidden amongst the Jedi. But then everything started to go downhill. The three of them passed their Jedi trials, she was proud of them of course, especially of Revan. No one ever before passed his trials at the age of twenty! And then the Mandalorians came.

Revan thought that the Jedi Order should help the Republic. But the Council said otherwise. They insisted on waiting. They feared of something greater laying behind the Mandalorians. They warned rest of the Order and reasoned them to wait, but Revan wasn't someone who could be reasoned easily. He tried to persuade the Council to give permission for participating in the war. He felt it was his duty to help the Republic, he swore to protect. But the Council refused. Revan was torn apart between his oath and loyalty to the Council. But he decided to wait.

Until the plea for help came from the Republic. They were desperate – they were losing on every front. The Mandalorians were superior in every way. On that point, Revan had enough of waiting. He gathered a large group of the Jedi who, like he, wanted to go to the war. Bastila wanted to go as well, but he refused to take her. He didn't want her to fight against the Mandalorians at such a young age, even though he was only five years older than her. But he didn't want to risk her life. So he, Malak and Meetra, as well as other Jedi Knights went to aid the Republic.

They were gone for two years. In this time they haven't appeared on Dantooine or Coruscant or any other Republic world for that matter. And if they did, no one knew about that.

Two years after Revan joined the Republic forces, news came to the Capital of the Republic. In the final battle on Malachor V Mandalore the Ultimate – leader of the Mandalorians – was defeated and Republic achieved the final victory. Bastila was waiting impatiently for Revan's return, but return he did not.

A year has passed since the battle on the Malachor V and the first news of Revan came. But these weren't good news. The leader of the Republic forces during Mandalorian Wars came back with an enormous armada and started his own war against the very Republic, he swore to protect. No one knew where did he gather such fleet, and no one stood a chance against him. He was a tactical genius. No one could beat him in combat – he conquered world after world. From a savior, he became a conqueror.

Jedi were desperate. They didn't know what to do or how to stand against the threat from Revan, now known as the Darth Revan. Another year has passed and the Dark Lord of the Sith seemed invincible. Council's debate of what to do caused Bastila to be on this mission she was right now. She was leading a small group of Jedi knights. Their purpose was clear. Capture or kill Darth Revan.

"Bastila!" a sudden yell brought her back to the presence. She has drifted off to her thoughts about the past. "We got to go. We're near the bridge" one of the Jedi told her. She nodded slightly and continued her way down the corridor. On their path here they encountered few Dark Jedi and few soldiers, though they weren't challenging opponents. They were almost there.

Suddenly they found themselves under heavy fire that came from the place they were heading to. Three Sith soldiers were firing upon them. But what caught Bastila's eyes was their armor. It wasn't a typical silver one that common soldiers wore, nor was it a read one used by the elites. Their armor was white. They used helmets to cover their heads but these ones were also designed differently. They also had color marks on their armor. One of them had blue, second had red and the third one had grey marks. Young Jedi Padawan knew that she saw them earlier, but she couldn't find it in her memory right now. She had to focus on not being shot.

"For the Republic!" one of the soldiers who were with them shouted and rushed in the direction where their enemy was. Few others followed him and were engaged now in a melee combat against three odd-looking Sith warriors. Their enemies turned out to be better than them. They wielded vibroblades, nothing special, but, judging by their style of combat, they could stand against and even defeat a Jedi. Bastila and her companions joined their soldiers and helped them in struggling against the three Sith.

"Look who's here. Turns out that our little Jedi Princess decided to join us" the one with red marks stated. Bastila was taken aback by this. Now she recognized them. They were personal Revan's guard. They used to serve the Republic, but they followed their leader after the Mandalorian Wars. They came out with this title for her when she ordered Revan to take her with him. Actually, it was he who used this term first.

Bastila tried to ignore that comment and launched at the one who spoke that. She ignited her yellow lightsaber and was facing her opponent. He was good. Very good at this point. She knew that he could easily kill most of the Jedi Knights. Not without reason, he was one of the Revan's personal bodyguards and most trusted soldiers. Though she noticed something odd. He wasn't fighting like he tried to defeat her. He was only defending himself.

Bastila quickly used this to her advantage. She spun on her heel and kicked her opponent right in the head. He was taken aback by this sudden action but was still standing. Until the Padawan he was fighting against hit him in the head again, but this time with a handle of her lightsaber. He fell to the floor.

"And now you're dead" one of the Republic soldiers addressed her opponent, who was lying unconscious before her. Bastila watched as her companion put a blaster rifle to the Sith's head. She didn't know why she did it, but she used the Force to remove the blaster in the last second.

"No! He doesn't deserve to die" she reasoned the soldier. With a corner of her eye, she noticed that the other two were also put unconscious. The soldier she was talking to didn't look convinced.

"They can have some useful information" another Jedi added.

"We'll take them as prisoners" the only Jedi Master in their team stated. Soldiers were skeptical, to say the least, to the Jedi's idea. But they complied. They were no one to argue with the will of the Knights. Silently they took the three warriors and carried them to the hangar, where their ship was.

Bastila and the Jedi Knights now turned to the doors leading to bridge. With them stayed only one Republic soldier, as the others carried their prisoners. Young Padawan didn't know what she was going to meet on the other side of the doors, and certainly, she wasn't prepared for this. _There is no emotion. There is peace,_ she tried to calm her mind by reciting the Code. She took a deep breath and opened the doors. _Now or never_ was her last thought before entering the bridge.

* * *

Revan was still standing next to the viewport and was starring through it. The battle was lost. His Sith armada was now in ruins. More and more Republic frigates started to break through their defenses, and Jedi were almost on the bridge. He sensed them. Malak was giving orders to prepare to fire upon his ship – he sensed this as well. But he didn't panic. He wasn't stressed. He was relaxed. And he knew why. _Bastila_ a single thought ran through his mind. Her presence always calmed him down. They were here.

The doors opened with a hiss but he didn't care. Something intrigued him. He didn't sense in the Force the death of his bodyguards. _Jedi value all life,_ he thought and smirked behind his mask on this. He knew that particular line of the Jedi Code. And thanks to this he was almost sure that he was going to survive what will happen next.

His Dark Jedi were killed quickly. They weren't great duelists and the Jedi strike team was standing behind him right now, few meters away. But he didn't even bother to notice them. He was still staring through the viewport, his arms crossed behind his back. But one of the soldiers couldn't hold it anymore. He ran towards the Dark Lord shouting some nonsense that Revan didn't try to understand. Without turning around or even moving his hands he caught the man with the Force and slowly choked him. After few seconds, the man fell to the floor. Dead. Then he turned to the Jedi standing behind him.

Ahead of them was she, Bastila. Revan was caught aback by her appearance. He knew that she will come for him, but he wasn't prepared to meet her after four years.

This time was good for her, that was sure. She became more beautiful than she was before if that was even possible. She developed women curves that were matched by her fitting outfit. She had her black hair tied up in a ponytail with two strands around her face. Her full lips were still fiercely red – something he came to adore in the last months they spent together before the Mandalorian wars. Her skin was a little tanned. More than it used to be previously. And her eyes. Her eyes were grey as always, but now Revan didn't see in them the flicker of happiness that was there last time he saw her. And he knew exactly why, and it struck his heart. It was because of him. Because he betrayed her when he attacked the Republic. The Dark Lord could even feel tears forming up in the corners of his eyes. He blinked few times behind his mask to get rid of them.

"Ah, Bastila. Finally, we meet again. After all these years. I missed you, my dear. Have you come to join me? Your battle meditation would be a great addition to my Empire" Revan teased. Bastila ignored his comment but her companions did not.

"What is he talking about Bastila?" one Jedi asked. She did everything to ignore the burning sensation in her heart. For the first time in four years, she heard his voice. It didn't change. Maybe a little bit cause it was distorted by the mask Revan was wearing. She shook her head in order to get rid of the temptation of running to him and hugging him tightly.

"I'm not here to join you Revan" she spat out, ignoring Jedi's question "I'm here to end your reign of terror" she added with fake confidence. Truly she didn't know if they could win in a combat against him, even if they outnumbered him four to one. But still the outcome of the oncoming battle was impossible to foresee.

"Pity. I thought that after all those years we haven't seen each other you would want a reunion between us. But I was mistaken" Revan said with something coming dangerously close to sadness in his voice. "Very well. Prepare to die then" he added. The Dark Lord ignited his crimson lightsaber. His second weapon – a purple lightsaber – waited patiently, clipped to his belt.

At this point, Bastila got rid of any thoughts about redeeming Revan. Her friend or not, he was a threat to the Republic. A threat she came to put an end to. She reignited her own yellow lightsaber. Her companions did the same. The bridge was filled with red, yellow, purple and green lights as they were about to advance on each other.

"You cannot win Revan" Bastila almost spat his name with venom. But it didn't fall on Revan's deaf ears. The way she said his name, with so much hatred, hurt him more than any wound he suffered in both wars. He positioned his lightsaber parallel to his arm in a defensive stance. He saw his opponents preparing to advance on him. And then Malak chose his moment.

None of them noticed a stream of light coming to the bridge from the Leviathan. A massive explosion shook the entire ship. Revan fell to the floor when the bridge was being under a constant shot from his apprentice. The last thing the Dark Lord saw before blackness took him was her face. Bastila's face.

* * *

Bastila was taken aback by a sudden explosion, that shook the bridge. She noticed Revan falling to the floor. She blinked few times to get rid of the smoke burning her eyes. Young Padawan saw her companions slowly rising up to their feet, but Revan did not.

She shook her head to drive away the blackness that threatened to take her away and slowly she lifted herself up. She came to the Dark Lord and knelt next to him. She saw a blood pool forming around his head. Bastila checked his pulse. Weak, very weak. But nevertheless, it was there, though it was fading quickly. They had to get him out of there if they wanted to take him alive. But she had to see one thing.

Young Padawan carefully unclipped Revan's mask from his face and lifted it up. She gasped when she saw the Dark Lord's face.

Many Jedi Masters told that Darth Revan will look like an abomination, a monster. But he did not. He still was the same handsome man she remembered from her younger years. His skin was a little pale, but she assumed that it was due to the lack of the sunlight. He wasn't deadly pale as other users of the Dark Side. He had a little scar running through his eye – a souvenir after Mandalorian wars. His eyes were half closed. She didn't see any sick golden color burning with hatred. She saw the same deep green eyes she caught herself often starring in. She even noticed remains of tears on his face. That's certainly something she didn't expect. Him? Crying? And his hair was still pretty much the same. Long, black, reaching his arms. But it was natural black. Not an effect of using the Dark Side.

"Bastila, we got to go," one of her companions told her. She shook herself from the painful thoughts and tears forming in her eyes, and lifted herself up, not letting go of his mask. The two Jedi who were with her lifted Revan's unmoving form and carried him back to the hangar.

* * *

"My Lord? There are no signs of life upon the bridge" Admiral Karath reported. Malak almost smirked but his lack of the jaw didn't allow him to do so. Instead, he laughed madly. Cold, metallic laughter that caused everyone to shiver.

"Very well, Admiral. Prepare to jump to hyperspace. Set a course to Rakata system" he ordered.

"Yes, my Lord" Karath saluted. In few minutes the Sith forces were gone, leaving Republic's ships as well as Revan's flagship orbiting the planet below.

* * *

 **Okay, guys so here is the first chapter. Once again I ask you to be gentle with me cause this is my first fanfic ever XD. I would appreciate all comments so make sure to leave your thoughts below. And those three soldiers: Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were taken from the Clone Wars XD. But I'm not going to copy them. I will change them a bit but still, they will be here XD. If you have any idea of what I could change than share this with me as well. If you liked this first chapter then hit 'favorite'. So… till the next time guys :D.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay so here is another chapter. I don't know how frequently I will update this story but I promise that I'll try to do it at least once for a week. But you know how this can turn out. I'm still at school so around June I will have a lot of things to finish before summer holidays if I want to pass to the next year XD. But till this time I'll try to upload this story as often as I possibly can. Of course, on summer holidays I will post new chapters more frequently like few times in a week. But let's finish this little talk and let's go to the chapter. Have a nice read :D.**

 _Discalimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 1

Bastila was sleeping in her quarters. It was a well-deserved rest. She and the rest of her team were now on the Republic cruiser. They have accomplished their mission – Darth Revan was now in their hands. It was something she was proud of. She has shown herself worthy of the title of the Jedi Knight, but these thoughts escaped her mind when she drifted off to blackness. Something she didn't fight with.

* * *

 _She was on the bridge, again, but now she was alone. She looked around. Her companions were lying dead on the floor. All of them. Bastila looked forward. The sight caused her heart to skip a beat._

 _There was Darth Revan, fully in his armor. He was wielding a crimson red lightsaber in one hand and a purple one in his second hand. He held them parallel to his legs. His mask covered his features but Bastila could feel hatred burning in his eyes behind it._

" _You betrayed me, Bastila," Revan's image told her. That's something she couldn't stand. Did SHE betray HIM? It was HE who betrayed HER!_

" _You're wrong Revan. It's you who betrayed ME. Dark Side has clouded your mind" she answered on the edge of tears._

" _You betrayed me" he repeated "You took me alive as a prisoner. And now you're heading back to the Council just like a puppet, a pet. You think I don't know what the Jedi are going to do with me now?" he asked. On this point, she didn't understand him and her curiosity took best of her._

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _So you really don't know?" he asked intrigued, and let out a small sigh. "Let me tell you then. Your precious Jedi Council won't let me stay alive. They will rape my mind to find some clues on how to win this war, and when they do they will toss me away. Like a trash. There will be no more Darth Revan or even Revan. There will be only a memory of me, and it's all thanks to you"._

" _What? You're mad. Jedi would never do such a thing" she answered. She didn't believe him. She couldn't believe him. The Jedi Council found every life sacred, and he lost himself to the Dark Side. Hatred to them was speaking through him._

 _"Bastila," he said with a soft tone. Young Padawan looked at him. He turned off both of his lightsabers and clipped them back to his belt. Then he lifted his hands up to his mask. He took it off._

 _As one day before, Bastila gasped. He hasn't changed. He wasn't consumed by the Darkness as many said. Under all of this, he still was Revan._ Her _Revan. They were looking each other in the eye, but then the image of him started to fade away._

 _"You betrayed me, Bastila," he said once more as he was disappearing in the smoke that was coming out of nowhere. She tried to come closer to him, but no matter how many steps she took, Revan was still far from her._

" _No!" she shouted. Tears were now freely running down her face. "That's not true!"._

" _You betrayed me" Revan repeated before he fully disappeared, and Bastila was left alone._

* * *

She woke up with a scream. Sweat was running down her face. It was only a dream, wasn't it? She had to make sure. Bastila slowly lifted herself up from the bed in her private quarters. She slept for twelve standard hours, but still, it seemed like nothing. Her muscles were sore and she had a terrible headache. But she ignored this protest from her body and got up from the bed.

Her companions carried Revan to the medical bay. His bodyguards were left at the prison chambers because they didn't suffer as much as their master. The Dark Lord of the Sith required immediate medical help if they wanted to get any information from him. His head was badly injured when he fell to the floor on the bridge of his flagship. They needed a lot of kolto to stop the bleeding only for a bit.

Bastila came up to the little mirror that was hanging next to the door. She looked at her reflection. Her hair was a mess. Her usual ponytail didn't hold any strands anymore. She tried to repair them at some point but her effort didn't bring any results.

Bastila poured some water on her hands and washed her face. A cold liquid brought some sort of relief to her. And it helped her to get rid of sleepiness that still held her. She put on her Jedi robes and clipped a silver handle of the lightsaber to her belt. With that, she stepped out of her quarters.

The ship was peaceful. They were in a hyperspace route to Coruscant. The crew of the cruiser didn't have reasons to fear any attack from the Sith. They were shattered right now. Slowly Bastila walked towards the medical bay. She still was exhausted.

She passed few soldiers who were on their shifts. They saluted her, and she replied at that with a simple nod of her head. She wiped her face to try to get rid of the sleepiness. Her steps were clumsy. Her legs were scraping against the floor as she was making her way towards the medical bay. It wasn't that far from her quarters, but the distance seemed to be endless.

She has finally reached the doors that led towards the medical bay. After stepping through them she was overwhelmed by different sounds. Some shouting of the doctors, as well as the bipping of medical equipment that was keeping Revan alive. But something was wrong.

Doctors were running around the bed Dark Lord was laying in. Slowly words started to make their way to Bastila's mind. "His life…" "Dying…" "Weak pulse…" "Bring the…" was all she heard amongst the yells. None of the doctors paid attention to her. They were too busy with their only patient. Then these words started to make some sense in her mind. Revan was dying. That's all she understood. Her instincts got best of her. She made her way to his bed. He was pale, deadly pale. Not like a day before. This time it was because he was losing his life. She pressed a palm of her hand to his forehead. It was cold. Bastila quickly removed her hand from his face.

"Go away child!" one of the doctors shouted at her. He pushed her away from the bed. She obeyed it and looked at the cardiogram that was standing next to the mattress, Revan was laying on. From what little knowledge about the medicine she had, she could understand that his heartbeat was weak, and it was fading.

She knew that she had to try to save him. She pushed back a doctor and positioned herself back next to his bed. Bastila took his cold hand in her palms. She used the Force to enter Revan's mind, and then the blackness took her.

* * *

 _She wasn't asleep, that was sure. She found herself in a black room where was no sound or light. Carefully she took a step forward. Nothing. She took one more step. Again nothing. Bastila started to walk cautiously ahead, and suddenly she hit something._

 _She thought it was a wall, but when her eyes adjusted to dark she made out a shape. A human shape. Then some more details came to her. This man, she assumed from his posture, was wearing an armor. That's all she saw in the dark. Bastila looked up and her heart stopped for few seconds._

 _She saw_ him _without his mask. Even in the darkness, she could make out the features of his face. It seemed to shine in the empty room. His incredibly handsome face. She smiled lightly upon seeing him. But he didn't return the smile. He had an emotionless expression and seemed not to notice her, as his eyes didn't look in her direction._

 _"Revan," she said quietly. At that, he turned his attention to her, but he still didn't say anything. He was just looking at her. His green eyes were shining brightly in the dark room they were in._

" _We meet again, Bastila," he said softly. She smiled further at him, but still, he remained emotionless. "I'm dying, my dear" he whispered to her. That caught her off guard. Her smile faded slowly from her face. She didn't know what to do or say. She kept standing while he was being pulled backward. When he was few steps away from her, she shook herself from the trance she was in and tried to walk towards him. But just as in the dream, she couldn't get any closer to him. And once again his image started to fade away. "You betrayed me…" he added._

 _At this statement, Bastila was completely free of the trance she previously was in. Even if she wanted to say anything, her voice failed her and nothing came out from her mouth. She did the only thing she could come up with. She reached for him with the Force, trying to pull him towards her. And at some point, it worked._

* * *

Bastila slowly lifted her eyelids. A white light of a medical lamp caused her to immediately shut them down though. She tried to blink few times to get used to the brightness surrounding her, but it was pointless.

"She woke up," someone next to her said. Then Bastila felt herself being pulled upwards, and something metallic was pressed against her lips. She opened her mouth and felt cool water running down her throat. At first, she coughed, being taken by surprise by the sudden presence of a liquid in her mouth, but then she willingly sobbed everything that was given to her. She didn't know how much her body required water until this moment.

"Wh… what happened?" Bastila muttered. At this point, she felt that she could trust her eyes and opened them slowly. This time the light wasn't so blinding. But still, she couldn't make out any details of her surroundings.

"We thought that you may tell us this," a voice said. "You run up to Revan's bed, caught his hand, and a moment later you passed out. When we tried to revive you, his condition suddenly stabilized" the same voice finished. Bastila started to notice some more details around her. Next to her bed were standing two doctors and a Jedi Master who companied her in the mission. And it was his voice she heard.

"I… I don't understand" she replied. The Jedi Master Vrook came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, child. Just try to recall what happened after you passed out" he tried to calm her down. Bastila though remembered pretty well her 'meeting' with the Dark Lord.

"I… I entered his mind in order to save him" she started "When I did I found myself and him in a room". At this point, Master Vrook was curious and came closer to Bastila. "He said that he was dying" she skipped Revan's mention of a 'betrayal'. There are some things that are better to leave untold. Like her relationship with the Dark Lord."I didn't know what to do. His image started to fade away. I tried to catch him but I couldn't get close enough. Then I used the Force to stop him, and it worked" she told.

Vrook rubbed his eyes. He didn't know what to think about that. There was one thing coming to his mind as an explanation. And he pried to the Force and all of the goddess in the Galaxy that he was wrong.

Silence fell between them. The only thing that disrupted it was a bipping of the cardiogram standing next to the Revan's bed. Bastila was watching her master impatiently. She wanted to know what it meant.

"If this what you have told us is true…" Vrook broke the silence, and let out a sigh. He didn't know how to explain it to her. "But I hope that it did not happen, though" he finished. Bastila looked at him with a concern in her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked with a worry in her voice. Her master sighed again. He really didn't want to say that but he couldn't leave her unknowing.

"What you did is considered to be one of the most difficult Jedi healing arts. You used the Force to save his life. You stopped him on his way to becoming one with the Force. That's something not many in our ranks achieved and certainly not any Padawan. But this act has its own consequences. Saving someone's life in this way causes to connect minds between a savior and a saved one. And if I understood well what you did, then that's something that happened between you and Revan" Vrook explained. Bastila was silent. A mind connection? Was she connected with Dark Lord's mind? And what exactly did it mean?

Vrook said nothing at her silence. He just stood up and left the medical bay. When he walked out the doctors came up to Bastila's bed to check her condition. After few minutes they allowed young Padawan to leave. She complied and found herself walking back to her quarters. Her legs were carrying her, but she paid them no attention. Her mind was pacing back and forth amongst the different thoughts. Yet still, she was coming back to this particular one. A connection between her and Revan. Not to mention that her heart was almost broken when she saw him on the bridge. And now Master Vrook told her that she is connected with the most hated person in the Galaxy!

 _But I don't hate him._ A thought suddenly struck her. She stopped in her trucks. Was it true? Through the last year, she tried to force herself to hate him. In the nights when no one heard her, she reasoned her expression in the mirror, trying to convince it that she hates Revan. But she couldn't, no matter her efforts. She was lying to herself and she knew it very well. Her heart disobeyed her mind and very often she found herself thinking about the Dark Lord of the Sith. But without this mantle. She thought of their younger years. When their friendship slowly developed into love, despite the Council's teachings about love. That it was forbidden, as any other emotion. But it didn't stop them. They used to sneak out of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine and spend hours on grassy plains. Especially in the summer. Many times they watched a sunset together while sitting on a hill not that far from the Enclave. One of these memories was particularly worthy of remembering.

* * *

 _It was Revan's last day as a Padawan. Next day he was supposed to pass his Jedi Trials. Bastila was very proud of him. No one ever before him faced the Trials in the age of twenty! This evening they were celebrating. Alek and Meetra already were knighted because they were a few years older than Revan and Bastila but still they joined their friends. After an impressive dinner that was served in the Enclave the two of them sneaked out to the plains. They quickly found their favorite spot on the hill where they had a perfect view of the setting sun. Revan was sitting slightly behind her. They were staring at the sky, and simply enjoyed each other's company._

" _You're leaving tomorrow" Bastila more stated than asked. She turned to look at him. He only nodded. His expression though was almost sad. He wasn't smiling and his eyes didn't have a flicker of happiness anymore. "What is it?" she asked. She didn't understand him. He should be happy, shouldn't he? Revan finally looked at her._

 _"I'm happy. I really am, but…" he didn't finish. She was intrigued. She was studying his face for any clues. Sunlight caused his pupils to lessen extremely so practically only his irises were visible. She often was looking into his eyes but now they seemed to be even more beautiful than ever. Dozens of shades of emerald green danced in them. And now these eyes were staring directly at her._

" _But?" she tried to encourage him to continue. But he didn't say anything._

 _His next action caught her completely off guard. He leaned towards her and connected her lips with his own ones. Bastila gasped at his sudden express of feelings. Her eyes were wide opened as Revan continued to kiss her lightly. After few seconds though she gave up to the moment and closed her eyes. She answered to the kiss by leaning against him and wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers buried in his black hair – something she was often dreaming of. They were soft. Very soft. As well as his lips._

 _She didn't know how long they were kissing until she felt a gentle pressure against her lips. Revan was asking for a permission to enter her mouth with his tongue. She obeyed and let him in. His tongue was exploring a cavern of her mouth. She tasted him. She certainly could get used to it. When he lightly bitted her lower lip she gasped, and her belly was filled with butterflies. Bastila felt Revan's arms on her back. He was stroking her hair that was unusually left free. They stayed like that for hours. Or maybe only minutes? They didn't know. The only thing that mattered was to be close to one another. None of them wanted to ruin this moment._

 _But they had to part their lips in order to get some air. They were touching each other with their foreheads, their eyes remaining closed. Now a small smile was lighting their faces._

* * *

Bastila leaned against a wall in her quarters. She was crying. Painful memories flooded her mind. The vision of their first and last kiss was still fresh in her mind. She could even taste Revan's lips on her own ones. She slid down the wall, and now she was sitting on the floor. And then she felt someone's presence on the very edge of her mind.

* * *

 **Okay so here's the second chapter. Let me know what you think about it (it will be the best if you leave a comment). If you like my story so far add it to your 'favorites' and make sure to follow me in order not to miss any update :D. Till next time guys!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Okay so here comes another one. And again I ask you for comments so I can know what you think of my story so far.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 3

Bastila was sitting on the floor in her quarters. Tears were still running down her cheeks. She was sobbing lightly. And then she felt it. A gentle touch on the edge of her mind. She didn't know what was that. But she was curious enough to find out. Even though Masters warned her and other Padawans very often about some strangers trying to enter their mind. They said that it can be used by dark forces and might lead them down a path of the Dark Side.

* * *

But she didn't care. She gave a permission for this stranger and invited him to her mind.

 _Bastila was in some sort of vision. Again. She sighed. How many of these are going to happen to her this day? She took a notice of her surroundings._

 _This time it wasn't a flagship's bridge, nor some dark room. It was… Dantooine. She recognized after a moment. She was standing in a middle of a grassy plain that was spreading nearby Jedi Enclave. It was evening, she judged by sun's position on the sky._

 _Bastila started to walk ahead, touching the grass with her palms. It seemed so real. She took a deep breath. A smell of rain filled her lungs. It was raining not that long time ago, she assumed. Sun was gently warming her face. Small clouds were running across the sky. She had to admit it. It was beautiful._

" _See something you like?" a voice suddenly asked. It caught her off guard. She turned around to look at the source of the voice. And for a hundredth time that day, her heart shattered into thousands of pieces. In front of her was standing Revan. But not in his mask or armor. He was wearing a simple black tunic and trousers of the same color. An outfit he used to wear when he lived in the Jedi Enclave. And he was smiling at her. Oh, how she missed that smile. Her eyes betrayed her and she had to blink few times to get rid of the tears that were forming in them. But this time they were caused by happiness._

" _Where are we?" she asked. And she didn't mean the scenery that surrounded them._

" _We're in our minds" he answered. Okay, she didn't understand it. She heard of being in someone's mind. But to be in two minds at the same time? It seemed impossible. And then the realization hit her._

" _A connection" she whispered._

" _Do you know what you have done when you raided my mind?" he asked again. Bastila nodded. "I've saved your life from a certain death" she answered. Revan chuckled slightly at her statement._

" _Yes. You did indeed. But by this action you have caused our minds to connect, Bastila" he told her. She knew it already. Master Vrook explained it in the medical bay._

" _I know it" she replied. Revan said nothing but tried to come closer to her. Though she started to back away from him. This action caused him to stop in his trucks._

" _What are you doing?" he asked her. "I thought that after our little encounter on the bridge and those 'meetings' in yours and then my subconscious you would like to meet in some nicer place?" he added. She didn't know why she was backing away from him. Did he scare her? Absolutely not. She was never afraid of him._

 _At her silence, Revan continued to walk towards her. This time though, she wasn't backing away._

 _His smile grew wider with every step he took. He was so close to her right now. His face stopped mere inches from her own. She looked into his eyes._

 _As always they held plenty of colors that were shades of green. Bright green that caused most of the girls in the Jedi Enclave to lose their heads. Bastila was among them_

 _She was captured by his eyes at this moment. She didn't register his arms slowly pulling her towards him. But she didn't care. She rested her hands against his chest. They still were looking each other in the eyes. Her grey starring into his green._

 _Their foreheads were pressed against each other. Their lips getting closer and closer until they were two centimeters away. She could feel his warm breath on her face._

" _I love you, Bastila. I always have. Remember it" Revan whispered. And with that everything faded away._

* * *

She opened her eyes and found herself again in her quarters. These constant visions weren't good for her. She slowly stopped to tell the difference between reality and a dream. And the one she had a moment ago certainly didn't help her mood.

She still was crying. Even more so after another 'encounter' with the Dark Lord. Everything in her vision just seemed so real! A touch of the grass, small blew of the wind, warmth of the sun and Revan.

He still held the same crooked smile she adored. He hadn't changed that much as she expected. He was lean but you could feel well-developed muscles, that his tunic was hiding. The only noticeable change was a scar running across his right eye. It wasn't big, but still, it was there.

Bastila was thinking about his words. Love? Certainly, she was in love with him but never before they said it out loud. Or he never told that in this matter. She was torn apart. Once again her mind tried to convince her that he isn't someone to be loved. That he is a Sith and they do not know such feelings.

On the other hand, her heart spoke. And it was defending Revan. She never truly accepted his turn to the Dark Side. Deep inside Bastila knew that somewhere under this mask and armor was the same Revan she loved. The same one that kissed her on plains of Dantooine. The same one who set to the Mandalorian wars and became a savior of the Republic.

She checked ship's records. Twelve more hours before they reach Coruscant. Bastila lifted herself slowly from the floor and returned to her bed. She hoped to earn some rest without any dreams or visions this time. And luckily for her, the Force obeyed her wish.

* * *

Revan didn't know what to do. Again. He knew where he was and what was happening around him. But he didn't know how to react to it. He tried to escape by becoming one with the Force. In that moment all thoughts of saving the Galaxy from a threat laying in the Unknown Regions left his mind. And then she came in.

She entered his mind! Something he never allowed. Only the Emperor was able to do it. But she? A mere Padawan? That was unimaginable.

And now their minds were connected. Excellent. He had to abandon any idea of becoming one with the Force. It would cause her almost to die as well. She would turn herself into a vegetable. He couldn't be so selfish.

But he had to act. He knew that even if his body remained unconscious, his mind was able to work on its own accord.

First of all, he had to secure himself. The Jedi will try to enter his mind to find anything useful. He had to protect his memories. He had to create a guardian who would be able to keep his past life save.

And here comes another problem. Even if he accomplished it and Jedi wouldn't get any information from him, he still would remain in danger. He was a criminal in the Council's and the Republic's eyes. They would demand his execution. And here comes in hand foolishness of the Jedi Order. _Jedi do not believe in killing their prisoners._ He laughed in mind at this. This one mistake of the Order was now his only way of getting out of this mess. But he knew pretty well few members of the Council.

Most of them would agree that leaving Revan in his body will be too dangerous. They will spare his physical form. But they will wipe out his identity. And they dare to claim that they value all life! Hypocrites. He had to act now.

He didn't know how much time he had. But he did his best to keep his body unconscious for as long as he could. If he woke up now, he would have a neural disruptor around his neck. And this would make his plans impossible to accomplish.

He tried to fall back to the depths of his mind. Hundredths of hours spent in the Jedi archives and in the tombs of ancient Sith on Korriban now came in hand. Malak often was laughing at him for spending so much time on learning. But now this wisdom he possessed could save his life.

He knew that this what he was planning to do was extremely dangerous. And difficult. From the knowledge collected in Naga Sadows' Holocron found in his tomb, Revan gathered all information he would need for what he was going to do. It would take him hours to finish it, but he hoped that he would find the required time. With that in mind, he started working.

First of all, he had to launch additional ten percent of his mind. It will be a space, where he will be able to 'hide' himself. The first step of this task was already extremely difficult. 'Turning on' more percent of his mind was something that not many accomplished. And if they did, it was around one or two percent and not ten! But Revan didn't care. He knew that he was able to do it. He just had to focus.

* * *

Few hours had passed, but finally, Revan did it. His mind had now plenty of a new space. He failed few times and was forced to start from the beginning. But he was patient. And his patience was now rewarded. He was proud of himself. He did something many could only dream about. But he was far from done.

Now the most difficult part was about to begin. 'Copying' his identity. Revan wanted to remain himself so he could not abandon any single memory. All of them, both good and bad, made the person he was today. And he wanted to still be this person.

He gathered all the Force he could and entered his own mind. Millions of flashbacks flooded his eyes. He could see his every memory since he was born. But he couldn't focus on this right now. Later will be the time to remind old times but not now. Right now he had to hurry.

Then an idea crossed his mind. He read somewhere about forming something with only the Force. He tried to do so.

Immediately images that were dancing before his eyes were compressed into cubes. They looked now like Holocrons placed on the shelves. And Revan found himself standing amongst these shelves. Right now things seemed to be a lot easier.

Cautiously he walked to the nearest shelf and picked up one of the small cubes. It contained a memory. He slowly opened it.

* * *

 _Explosion. The ship was being shot from all sides. And Revan was on that ship._

 _He looked around. Dozens of bodies were laying across the floor. He recognized them. These were Mandalorian soldiers. He noticed lightsaber wounds on their armors, where his weapons dealt a killing blow._

 _Revan was watching in awe as his younger self, walked amongst the bodies, walking up to the doors. He opened them and went to the bridge. Present Revan followed him._

 _There next to the viewport was standing Mandalore the Ultimate – Mandalorian leader._

* * *

Revan was pulled back. He was again in the 'library' containing his memories. He chuckled lightly. Now the things were a whole lot easier.

* * *

Revan was proud of himself. Like never before. After ten hours of work, he had accomplished something impossible. Copy of his identity was now safely hidden in the back of his mind. There was no way the Jedi could find it. He also created a guardian protecting his memories. If the Council will break into his mind, they will find a not that nice surprise.

Revan smirked on seeing creatures in his mind. One Terentatek was dangerous but five of them it was something that will scare the Jedi away of his mind. He will do all he can to keep the location of the Star Forge a secret.

Now the only thing he could do was wait. He retracted from the depths of his mind. Even unconscious he could hear what was happening around him but he paid it no attention. Strangely he found himself thinking of Bastila.

At first, he appeared in her dream. He just had to see her. Though he didn't plan to make her check his condition. He wanted to talk with her but their talk on a bridge wasn't something he wished for.

Then she appeared in his mind. He told her the truth. He was dying. But he didn't say that he did it willingly. And she had to break his plans.

Then he used the connection he had with her. A Force Bond made it a lot easier to go into someone's mind. And he used it.

He wanted to find himself again on the plains of Dantooine. With her. So he created this scenario.

She was fully aware of what he did. He contacted her and she knew that she should tell it to Master Vrook. But she didn't. And Revan was happy because of that.

He wanted to see her the last time before the Jedi Council enters his mind. He had one last message to tell her. And when he did, he was at peace.

He had to admit it to Bastila. That he loved her. And this was the last opportunity. Then he will have to hide his true self for Force knows how long.

His mind stopped pacing now. He truly found peace. The peace he could only achieve when he was with her.

And he didn't know when he will be able to meet her again.

* * *

 **Okay, so the third chapter is done. In two days I go back to school so the frequency of updating the story will lessen I guess. Again feel free to place your thoughts in the comments (it doesn't cost anything XD). If you like my story so far then make sure to add it to your 'favorites' and follow me in order to not miss any updates. Till next time guys :D.**


	4. Chapter 3

**So I publish another chapter. I'm on some writing spree right now and I just keep thinking of this story. And I can't ignore that hahaha :D. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my story (even though it's still pretty short), and if you do, then make sure to add it to your 'favorites' and follow me to know when another chapter comes out. Have nice read guys :D.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 3

" _Attention! We're about to leave the hyperspace in around five minutes. Prepare yourselves and welcome home"_ a voice said from a speaker. Bastila blinked slowly. Finally, she managed to get some peaceful sleep. She turned around to lay on her back.

Her quarters were nothing special. Simple, small room with a bed, table, dressing and a toilet. She didn't use her position as General to get any special living conditions. Bastila got used to modesty as a Jedi Padawan. And she was perfectly okay with that. The only thing she required was a private toilet and shower cabin. She wasn't going to wash herself with other female members of the crew. She had every right to some privacy.

Bastila lifted herself. Her muscles didn't burn anymore and the headache stopped. She removed covers from her body and sat on the bed, her legs on the floor. Young Padawan wiped her face to get rid of sleepiness that still held her.

Slowly she got up and walked to the refresher. One of the privileges of being a General and having a private toilet was this, that she had an access to the running water. Something she was thankful for. She washed her face and looked at her reflection in a small mirror.

This time she looked a little better. Before she went to bed she took a shower and now her hair looked fresher than earlier. Bastila started to put them in her regular ponytail. It wasn't some spectacular haircut, but it was very comfortable and practical. When she was done, she left the refresher and came up to a chair her clothes were on. Instead of her usual, formfitting outfit, she chose regular Jedi tunic. Beige robes fitted her perfectly. When she was done with the top and trousers, she put on her shoes. Simple, dark brown, knee-high, shoes made of leather.

She tried to relax. They were back on Coruscant. Safe. With their mission fulfilled. This task was her ultimate test before facing the Jedi Trials. That's what the Council has said before she left. Though when she will face the trials, she did not know. That's something that remained a secret.

Bastila walked out of her quarters. Soldiers were going in different directions. Those who passed by the Jedi Padawan saluted her. She returned the gesture with a nod. The youngest General in this war slowly made her way towards the back of the cruiser, where the exit was located.

By the time she reached her destination, the ship was already in the Coruscant atmosphere. Bastila had to use the wall in order not to lose balance.

After few minutes the rocking has stopped and the cruiser was landed. Around her, practically all crew of the ship has gathered.

The ramp has been lowered and first Coruscant buildings came in sight. As well as dozens of small speeders flying in every direction.

And then she noticed the people gathered across the landing pad. There were senators, members of the Jedi Council and even the Supreme Chancellor. And the press of course.

Dozens of flashes attacked her eyes and she had to cover them with her hand. Bastila felt an arm around her waist that pulled her towards the exit of the ship. She lifted her eyes and noticed Master Vrook standing next to her. She relaxed.

The press started to attack them, but rest of the Jedi Council made sure to keep them at bay. With their help, Bastila and Vrook found themselves amongst other Masters.

Young Padawan was watching as others abandoned the ship. Most of the crew was now out and was being attacked by the reporters. And then four men were carried out of the cruiser.

One of them was strapped to the bed and was being accompanied by doctors and soldiers who kept their guns ready. Revan. Silence fell upon the landing pad. Everyone who wasn't on this mission was taken aback by the Dark Lord's presence. Even if he remained unconscious.

And then the spell was broken. First of the reporters took a photo of the prisoner. And then the other one. And one more. And so the landing pad was again filled with the sounds and flashes, even if it was a midday.

Next three who left the ship were also accompanied by soldiers. But they were walking on their own. They had had their arms strapped down behind their backs. They were also stripped of their armors and had only black shirts and pants on themselves. Bastila recognized them immediately. They were Revan's guards. Though she had to admit that now they looked less intimidating than before.

All four men were carried to the shuttle and were taken to the Jedi Temple. Bastila watched as the small ship disappeared behind the buildings.

* * *

She had enough. Definitively she had enough. Bastila almost gave up to, ah so tempting lure of harming everyone in her reach. Five hours had passed since the Republic cruiser landed on Coruscant and she was under constant attack by the media. Even though the Jedi Council tried to protect her from the assault. But it was impossible to keep all of the reporters at bay.

"How do you feel after accomplishing such a difficult task?" "What can you tell about yourself being a General at such a young age?" "Is it true that you and Revan had a romantic past?". What were these questions? Where did they come from? She had no idea and certainly, she was not answering any of them. And how exactly did the reporters came up with the idea of a 'romantic past'? That intrigued her. She couldn't tell the truth, of course. But still, she was interested in this question. Has someone spied on them? No, it would be senseless. Every time she and Revan sneaked out of the Enclave, they made sure nobody followed them. Not even Alek or Meetra knew about their little secret. So how did the reporter came up with this question?

Bastila shrugged her shoulders and chuckled slightly. This was certainly a 'reporter's fantasy'. She had nothing to worry about.

But this question woke up in her plenty of painful memories. Again. She found herself not listening to her surroundings. Instead, she was thinking of her 'romantic past' with Revan. A flashback of her last 'meeting' with the Dark Lord came back to her. And this thing he told at the end. That he loved her. Bastila again was on the edge of tears. She closed her eyes to not let them fall. Luckily, no one noticed it.

She tried to get rid of painful thoughts and here in help came few reporters. As for once, they turned out to be useful. For the next few hours, she was forced to talk about her mission. She skipped few details of course. _Some things are better to leave untold_ she thought. And this 'interview' effectively kept her from any thoughts of Revan. Though she could come up with few more interesting things to do.

First of all was a hot bath. She had a shower not that long time ago but nothing could be compared to laying in the hot, burning water. Bastila almost drooled at the image.

Next thing was her bed. Her own, soft bed, where she could wriggle as much as she wanted. Her mattress on the ship was very small. She didn't have much space to sleep in any position she wanted. And when she comes back to her room in the Temple, she would finally get some good sleep.

Bastila smiled at the nice thoughts. She could handle it. There were left only a few more hours and she would be safe back in her own room. She could survive the media until this time.

* * *

They were on Coruscant. He sensed that. He mostly felt a large presence of the Jedi. And Capital of the Republic was the only place with so big amount of the Knights.

He felt them as well. His guards. They were with him, though imprisoned. Just like him. They were always at his side. Since the Mandalorian wars. They wouldn't abandon him. Even if that meant certain death.

The Jedi presence started to grow. They were approaching the Temple, he assumed. But he did not care. He was safe.

Actions of the last hours almost cost him his life. This what he had done was extremely exhausting. But it was worth it.

Right now he had to focus on regaining some of his consciousness. If the Council sees that he hadn't wake up, they wouldn't be so gentle with his mind. He gathered all the Force he could at this moment and pushed himself back to his mind and body.

* * *

Revan slowly lifted his eyelids. The first thing he saw after over a day of laying unconscious was light. Extremely bright, white light, that caused him to shut his eyes immediately.

He tried to use his hands to wipe his face. But he found them strapped to something. Something above his head. He tried to open his eyes again. This time more cautiously.

Now he noticed something more. A force field. Glowing with an orange color. He opened his second eye.

Then he saw a room. A very small one at this matter. There was no bed. Only one chair and a table. He tried to move his legs, but they disobeyed his orders. They were strapped as well as his hands. Revan sighed. The Council truly had to hate him. And hatred leads to the Dark Side, they say. Hypocrites. He cursed them in his spirit and tried to make out some details outside the force field.

He noticed other cells with a similar field. And he saw in them his most trusted men.

Revan smirked and reached for the Force to take off his restraints. But he found out that he couldn't find it. At this point, he began to panic. Have the Jedi already stripped him from the Force without him knowing it? Have they already raided his mind? But then he felt something cold around his neck. He laughed at his foolishness and blindness.

A neural disruptor. A device that caused his mind to be unable to focus and in consequences – separated him from the Force.

His laughter caught the attention of other prisoners.

"Good morning General" one of them spoke. Revan recognized his voice. Rex. He didn't answer though. He just nodded.

"Was all of this part of your plan, my Lord?" another man spoke. This time it was Wolfie. One of the greatest pilots of his fleet.

"Not exactly" Revan sighed. He had to admit that their position sucked at least. At this point, there was nothing they could do.

"So what do you plan to do next General?" the third man spoke. Fox. Revan looked around the room their cells were located in. Surprisingly, he did not find any camera. He smirked under his nose.

"Right now we follow the scenario, that Jedi prepared for us. If they want to play a game, then we shall accept their challenge" he answered. The truth was that he didn't have any plan right now. He only assumed of what could happen next. But nothing was sure. Though he had to keep a good spirit amongst his men.

"Yeah and this scenario will be an execution" Fox answered. They were the only ones who dared to question his words. But it was more of a friendly arguing than insubordination. They were often sparring like this. But now Fox's voice lacked the playful tone. It was a serious one.

"Ah, ah, ah, don't forget of the Jedi Code, Fox" Revan teased. _"The Jedi value all life._ Execution is something that will not meet us" he reasoned. Fox at this point only hissed.

Their further talk was disrupted when the doors to the room opened and few Jedi Masters came in.

Revan looked at the quests and grinned evilly. He decided to tease them a little and check how far their self-control can go.

"Hello Atris" he spoke to the woman standing at the front.

* * *

Revan was tossed back to his cell, his arms and legs chained. He let out a groan and tried to lift himself into a sitting position.

"Well, that was quick" Rex spoke. The Dark Lord cast him a glance.

"Looks like the Jedi don't like a bit of teasing" he murmured, a sarcasm clear in his voice.

Revan would never think that, oh so mighty Jedi Council was so easily driven out of patience. And it took only ten minutes to break them. Some of the Padawans were more difficult to break. He would have laughed if his rib cage didn't protest so much. After two questions he was taken away by the soldiers.

His ribs were nearly broken. But they made sure to do not hit him that hard. Though still his bones were bruised and hurt with each breath he took.

"What did they do?" this time it was Wolfie who asked the question. Revan lifted his eyes and placed them on him.

"Let's just say that I have made them redefine the Code. Turns out that they have emotions after all" he smirked. Though he doubted if his actions were worth anything. He only made them mad and he didn't think it served for his own good.

"And they, in turn, made me redefine the definition of pain" he added. At that, his guards chuckled. But it was humorless and dry. All of them knew that they were most likely screwed.

"So I guess that they didn't take anything from you?" Fox asked. He was watching his leader intensively. Revan only shook his head.

"No. And next time they won't bother with questions" he answered. A silence fell upon them that was only disturbed by Revan's heavy breathing.

"So what is going to happen next?" Fox asked another question. One that all of them had in the back of their minds. Revan didn't respond at first. He alone did not know. Was their life as safe as he assumed at the beginning? And if it wasn't? It would mean he lied to his men. Something he couldn't agree with. No, there had to be some sort of escape.

"I don't know" Revan answered. At this, his companions one by one let out a resigned sigh. Their future was something impossible to foresee at this moment.

* * *

Bastila slowly woke up. It was a first sleep that brought her relief. Any thoughts of Revan were now gone as she came back to the Temple.

Oh, how she missed these walls. They were on this mission for no longer than a month but it seemed as an eternity for her.

She left her apartment and headed towards the Room of Thousands Fountains. This place always soothed her and helped her clear her mind. On her way there she passed few fellow Jedi Padawans, but she paid them no attention. They greeted her with a slight nod and she returned the gesture. Though she didn't stop for any talk.

When Bastila reached her destination, she immediately found a relief. This place always helped her to calm her mind and that's what she needed. She was taken care by the Jedi Mind Healers of course. Master Vrook made sure of it. He insisted on that in order to make sure that her Bond with Revan didn't cause any damage to her mind.

But no Jedi Mind Healer could compete with the magic that the Room of Thousands Fountains held. That was the only place in the entire Galaxy, where she could find peace so easily. Here the Force seemed almost as something material she could touch with her bare hands. Her mind wasn't pacing anymore in here. Even time seemed to slow down or even stop in that place. She could spend hours there, and she would be sure that only minutes have passed. It was also her favorite place to learn.

She came up to the nearest fountain. It was formed to look like a natural water system. Some small plants were placed around the pool. There were grass, little branches and even waterfalls that looked like the real ones. The liquid was perfectly clear. She could make out small fishes swimming in it. Bastila held out her hand and sank it in the water.

It was cold. But friendly cold. Her lips curled up in a smile. Bastila closed her eyes. First time in a month, she was at peace.

* * *

 **Okay here is another chapter. I hope you like it. I would like to say thanks to Aggiefan15 and JourneyRocks13 for reviews. I appreciate them a lot and I'm looking forward to more comments. If you liked this chapter and the whole story then make sure to add it to your 'favorites' and follow me to not miss any update. Till next time!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Well, well, well I'm back at school now so my time for writing lessened drastically. But I'll do my best to spend some of my free time to write this story and to focus on it. If you want to know where this story is heading to then make sure to follow me and add it to your 'favorites'. And as usual, I ask you ALL for reviews. It's an information for me what's good so far and what should I change. So feel free to write a comment and have a nice read.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 4

He didn't know how much time he spent in his cell. Was it a week? Or a month? Or maybe just a single day? He truly had no idea.

The Jedi Council interrogated him once. And it seemed to happen ages ago. Or maybe only a day before? He did not know.

Only once he was so lost in keeping a track of time. When he was a Mandalore's captive. He spent a month as a prisoner. Or maybe only a week? Ah, he didn't care.

Not the past was important, but the present. He had no idea that the Jedi Council would allow for such treatment of a person. _All life is sacred._ These words stung his mind. Whenever someone uses them again in his presence, he would cut out his tongue and make him eat it.

But these weren't Jedi who caused that he was currently in such great pain. No, it was the Republic soldiers who tortured him. They even weren't asking any questions. They only bit him to pass out. And then they woke him up. And the cycle continued.

He didn't have any broken bones though. His 'hosts' weren't using any rods or knifes or anything like that, no.

They were using force whips.

Something much worse than a simple tool. It was ripping his skin apart. And with each hit, the bolt of electricity coursed through his body. He didn't know that the Republic would be able to use such sophisticated methods. Even he didn't play with his prisoners in that way. And when he did, he at least asked them some questions.

And they were doing it just for fun. Perhaps out of vengeance? The Jedi Code didn't keep their emotions at bay. They didn't have to follow Council's orders.

Well, at least he got the answer for one question. The usage of the table and the chair that were standing in his cell. His torturers were sitting nearby it, and they were eating there. How long has it been, since he had some food in his mouth? He didn't remember. He was getting only water in order not to dehydrate. But it was in small portions. The required minimum.

His companions were tortured as well. But for much less scale. After all, they were nothing, compared to him. He was the mastermind. He held the biggest secrets of his former Empire. But the Republic soldiers didn't ask for them.

After each 'session' he was taken care of by the medics. So he accidentally didn't die in the process.

And that made his sufferings much more terrible.

He couldn't cut himself out of his body to not feel any pain. The neural disruptor didn't allow for such an act of mercy.

The door to the prison's room opened with a hiss and few people came in. These time they weren't soldiers though.

It was a Temple Guard.

An elite unit of Force Users, that was meant to keep an order in the Jedi Temple.

The force field of his cell disappeared and two men came up to him. He cast them an absent glance and said nothing when they lifted him from the floor he was laying on. Caging him back to the wall was pointless. He wouldn't run away at this state. Actually, he could do nothing with his muscles trembling all the time.

Rex, Fox, and Wolfie watched helplessly as their General was being taken away. Threats would be for nothing. They knew it.

First time in their lifetime they saw their leader so broken. His cries of pain were something they were forced to listen. And they couldn't do anything. They could only stare. And listen.

The door to the prison closed and they were left alone. None of them said anything. They were only wondering if this was the last time they saw Revan.

* * *

Revan collapsed on the marble floor of the Council's room, in the very same place the Temple Guard left him. His hands and legs were still chained and now, they were also pinned to the small metal circle, that was poking out of the floor. Normally it was easy to pull it out. But not after days of not eating and being tortured.

"Perhaps now you will know your place" Atris' cold voice broke the silence. Revan could only stare blankly at her. He couldn't focus his vision but he could easily connect the voice with the person.

Was it a purpose of his never-ending torture? To make him kneel before the Council? He noticed that the way he was located, forced him to actually kneel before them. The greatest humiliation he ever witnessed.

"I guess that you made a good usage of the time and rethought your behavior? You always liked to learn from any source of knowledge so consider it to be just another lesson" this time it was Master Vrook who spoke. And again Revan could do nothing. His body was still slightly shaking after a number of electric bolts he took. His breath was shattered and his muscles refused to listen to him.

"Will you be cooperative now?" Atris spoke again. Rest of the Council was only staring at him. It wasn't a good method but it was necessary. Revan's head bowed a little and then he lifted it up. An affirmative nod.

"Very well then" Atris spoke again and gave a subtle sign for other Council's members. As one they entered Dark Lord's mind.

* * *

Even with the neural disruptor, he could feel them. And most of all he felt the pain that was caused by a presence of so many people. His mind was raided again. And again he had nothing to say about it.

* * *

 _The Council members found themselves in something that looked like a library. A very same library they had in the Temple._

 _On the shelves laid small cubes. Holocrons. They were surprised. It couldn't be easier anymore. It's like Revan helped them to gain access to his own memories._

 _Master Vrook was at the front of the Jedi Masters. He cautiously walked up to the nearest cube and reached out a hand to take it. And then the unimaginable happened._

 _From a corner came out the only creature in the Galaxy, the Jedi feared. A Terentatek. Years before, a great hunt was held in order to wipe them out from the face of the Galaxy. But it was Revan's mind, not Galaxy._

 _They stared blankly at the creature. It was coming for them. Instinctively the Council members reached out for their lightsabers._

 _But they didn't have them._

 _Then, in turn, they tried to make usage of the Force._

 _But they couldn't gain access to it as well._

 _They turned around in order to head in the opposite direction. But then another Terentatek came out from behind the shelves._

 _They frantically looked around. They were surrounded. Five ancient creatures were heading in their direction. And they had nothing to fight them of._

 _And then a voice pierced their ears. It was a laughter. A cold, evil laughter that sent shivers down their spines. It was Revan's laughter._

 _When the Masters fought that they were in the trap without a way out, they felt it. A presence of the Force. They quickly made use of it and retreated from Dark Lord's mind. They couldn't accept the fact that only because of his will, they managed to escape._

* * *

The Council was silent. They had no idea what to think about what they had just witnessed. Revan was not only able to defend himself – that's something they actually expected. But they didn't think he would be able to defeat them. With a neutral disruptor around his neck at this matter.

One by one they looked on Revan. He still was in his position but something has changed. His lips were curved in the small smile. That's all that muscles in his body could allow for.

Nothing, except Revan's shattered breathing, broke the silence. Council had no idea what to do.

Atris was the first one to regain her voice.

"I see that you have learned nothing from the past week," she said with the same cold tone. Week? Was it only a week? It seemed to him like a month at least. Atris nodded to the Guards standing at the door. They came up to take Revan away.

"Is… is that ho… how you value al… all life?" he muttered. He didn't know where he found the strength to speak. His tongue was protesting in the process.

The Council stated at him blankly. No one expected him to say anything. Their plan was to make him weak, so he couldn't resist them. And here he was. Speaking. Even if stuttering at each word.

"Yo… You th… th… think tha… that you c… can make me t… t… to ob… bay y… your wi… will?" he managed to ask. With every word, his tongue seemed to be more cooperative. Revan was still shaking slightly but it has lessened.

Again it was Atris who spoke first.

"Your arrogance knows no borders, I see. You still are the very same cocky person you used to be as a Padawan" she said with a venom in her voice.

"Arrogance?" he asked with a smirk. He wasn't stuttering anymore. Numbness finally escaping him. "If there is someone who deserves to be called arrogant it is you, Atris, and the entire Council as well. You are arrogant hypocrites. You always told of fear as something that can lead us down to the Dark Side. And yet you were afraid to act when the Mandalorians have attacked. You dare to say that you value all life. And yet, when Meetra returned to you after MalachorV, you exiled her. Where were you when we asked you for help? Where were you when Alek came to you and begged for reinforcements when I was captured? I'll tell you where you were. You remained hidden in your Temple. Safe in these ancient walls. You say you find all life sacred? Then why you called me a 'casualty of war' and refused to help as I was being kept as Mandalore's prisoner?" he spat with anger. The Council was taken aback at his sudden outburst. Previously, when he talked with them, he was teasing them and was testing their self-control. But now he was charging them. That's something that the Council wasn't prepared for.

No one before dared to speak to them with such tone. Not even the Supreme Chancellor. And yet here he was. Broken, almost dead, talking with such confidence and strength.

"You said that something greater was laying behind the Mandalorians. And you were right. And it was me who found it. And when I contacted you in this matter, you called me a traitor to the Republic and the Jedi Order and named me Darth Revan" he added with anger now burning in his eyes. Though still, they remained green. They haven't turned into golden color.

"What are you talking about?" this time it was Nomi Sunrider who spoke. She was one of the few Masters Revan actually respected.

"What, Vrook and Atris kept this a secret?" he asked with a mockery in his tone. "It's not good to keep such fact a secret" he addressed mentioned earlier Masters. His lips curled up in an ironic smile.

Atris and Vrook remained silent at his remark. They couldn't allow him for further talk.

"And I'll tell you one last thing. When you will finally toss me away like a trash, and your precious Order will fall to dust, I'll be there. Staring at your blindness and arrogance, while you will be trying desperately to keep yourself alive. The True Sith are coming, Atris. And you won't stop them" he said with something coming close to a madness in his voice.

The Grandmaster of the order had heard enough. She used the Force to put Revan unconscious and mentioned to the Guards to take him away.

When Revan was taken away, Atris looked into the eyes of the Council members. Now things became complicated.

* * *

Atris and Vrook watched as the entire Council was lying asleep. They didn't want to do it. They truly didn't. But it was a necessity. A smaller evil serving for a greater good, they reasoned themselves.

Two Jedi Masters put rest of the Council asleep after Revan was taken away. They couldn't allow their companions to know what caused the Dark Lord to take the path he was walking now. Atris and Vrook erased what happened in the Council's chambers from other Masters' minds. And instead, they placed a false memory. One in which Revan wasn't cooperative and they all agreed to go to the plan B. And they hoped that the Dark Lord wasn't prepared for that.

* * *

Bastila's peace, that she achieved in the Room of the Thousands Fountains was now shattered. She felt Revan.

Through their Bond, she could feel everything that was happening to him, even though he had a neural disruptor. And for that she was thankful. It helped to lessen the amount of pain, that was being transported to their mind from the Dark Lord's one.

 _You betrayed me._ His words echoed in her mind. Bastila found herself again on the edge of tears. She knew exactly what was happening to Revan and she couldn't believe, that the Council allowed it.

She felt every splash of a whip, every bolt of electricity. She felt hunger, that Revan felt and his pain when the Masters entered his mind. She felt everything. Lessened thousand times. But still, she felt it. And she could only imagine, what Revan was going through.

* * *

Revan was waking up slowly. But now it wasn't due to a bucket of water, splattered against his face. He also didn't feel pain, he always felt after regaining his consciousness. Dark Lord looked around the room he was in.

He was back in his cell. Exhausted. Three people were staring at him intensively.

"What happened, my Lord?" Rex spoke. They haven't spoken for days now. Revan was always or tortured, or unconscious. It was a first time in a week, they had an occasion to chat.

"I think that Jedi ran out of patience," he said. His voice wasn't failing him anymore. He could finally remain in peace for a little bit.

"They are going to kill me" he added quietly. At this, all three of his companions got up on their feet.

"But you've said that…" Fox started but was silenced by Revan holding out his hand.

"I know what I've said" he answered. "But the Jedi are no longer what I thought they were". Revan finished with a resigned sigh.

"You're not safe as well" he added after a moment of silence. "You're going to be punished just like me. I'm sorry I got you into it". Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were staring at their leader. Fear for their lives started to make its way towards their minds.

* * *

Bastila was watching blankly the Jedi Council. They haven't said what she just heard, have they? She had to mishear.

"I'm sorry Masters, I think I didn't understand well what you've just said" she responded to the Council.

Atris was patient. She has managed to regain her self-control shortly after Revan disappeared from her eyes.

"We've decided that Revan is too dangerous to be kept alive" she repeated. _And when they do, they will toss me away like a trash. There will be no Darth Revan or even Revan. There will be only a memory of me. And it's all thanks to you._ His words were loud in her mind. She felt tears stinging her eyes. But she had to hold them back. At least now. She planned to cry out into her pillow after she came back to her room.

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. The Jedi didn't act this way.

"But the Code says that…" she started but was cut off by her Master.

"There are some situations when the Code doesn't come in hand. And this is one of them" Vrook spoke.

She couldn't believe what she's just heard. Her Master ignoring the Code? It had to be a dream!

But it wasn't. The Council has made its decision. _And it's all thanks to you._ These words won't stop haunting her. She knew it.

"And we need your presence when we will put an end to the Revan's threat," Atris told. "Your Force Bond might be very helpful in this act".

Bastila could not believe it. The Council wanted to kill Revan, and she would have to be at their side? Helping them? She couldn't do it. But she also couldn't find words to protect herself from it.

"You're dismissed, Padawan" Vrook said. _Padawan._ Revan always called her by her name, or he came up with some nicknames. But her Master did not. He only referred to her as 'Padawan', 'child', 'kid' and 'young one'. He never called her by name.

Bastila spun around on her heel and left the Council's chambers. She was torn apart. She really had no idea what to do or think about it. Only one thing was certain. Revan is going to be no more.

* * *

 **Aaaaand here is another one. I hope that you liked my version of Revan's trial. If you have any idea of what I could change then share it in the comments so I can know those ideas. And again, add this story to your 'favorites' and follow me (this way you also support me as an author). I seriously have no idea when another chapter will come out but most likely it's not going to be tomorrow, though we shall see hehe. See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 5

**God damn it I can't stop thinking of this story hahaha :D. As always I encourage you to comment, add it to your 'favorites' and follow my profile to keep up with the latest updates.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 5

Revan carefully lifted his eyelids. He expected to see a grey room of his cell with a slight orange glow of the force field. But instead, he saw whiteness.

Everything was white. Walls, ceiling, floor and the bed he was laying in.

Bed? He frantically moved his hands through the surface he was on. Yes, it was a bed. Not that comfortable as he would wish but still better than the floor of his cell.

He tried to lift himself up only to find out, that he was pinned to it.

His hands were strapped on both sides of the bed, as well as his legs. He still had a neural disruptor around his neck.

But he didn't feel any pain. That intrigued him. He moved his head as much as he could and looked down on his body.

He had an IV needle in his left arm. His whole body was covered in bandages, soaked up in Kolto. He could make out this terrible smell of a medicine.

 _They're preparing me for an execution._ He thought.

Revan retracted his head back down on the pillow. He was staring blankly at the ceiling. The terracotta tiles were placed in symmetrical lines. Small traces of silicone filling were visible between the tiles.

He heard a gentle hiss of opened doors. He didn't look in that direction though. Revan knew who came in and certainly, the Dark Lord had no intention to speak with this person.

Atris came up carefully to his bed. Even though he was restrained, he remained dangerous. He proved it when he could hold all twelve members of the Jedi Council in a trap of his mind.

The Jedi Grandmaster slowly walked up to the laying form. She always was disgusted with Revan. Atris could never understand what the female part of the Order saw in him. He was nothing more than just a man. The body desires abandoned her years ago, so she was free from such a… disturbance.

She made her way to the IV needle poking out of his arm. It wasn't connected now to anything. And that's something she was counting on. She cautiously placed a vial with an orange liquid at the other end of the needle.

At this point, Revan finally acknowledged her presence. He didn't say anything though. He was only staring at her. His emerald eyes fighting with her icy blue orbs. But he was too exhausted for any challenge.

Atris smirked when Revan cast his glance downwards. It was a victorious smile. The one that clearly said 'no one can challenge me' _._ Her grin became deeper when she thought of the nearby future.

The substance Atris delivered into Revan's bloodstream would work within an hour. Within an hour Revan would turn into a defenseless being. Unable to say or even think. He will only be able to breathe. His eyes will become unseeing. Only his heartbeat and his breathing wouldn't change. It wasn't this kind of poison that would kill him, no.

This substance was meant only to turn him into a shell of a human.

* * *

This day had come. Bastila nearly didn't wake up on time. She had problems with falling asleep. Today was the day she would help to kill her former best friend and lover.

 _And it's all thanks to you._ His words still present in her mind. She didn't cry though. She cried out herself the previous night and she didn't have any tears left. Bastila slowly lifted herself up from the bed.

She was acting as in trance. She didn't know when she put her clothes on. In her state, she didn't notice when the Council's chamber appeared before her. She found herself staring blankly onto the doors.

The very same doors that used to be a symbol of wisdom for her. She was coming here often, seeking knowledge from the Masters. And now she wanted to be anywhere but here. But she couldn't. Young Padawan slowly made her way through the doors.

The Council was there already. As well as Revan. He was kneeling on the marble floor, pinned to it. She didn't see much of him since he was turned back to her. The only thing she registered was a neural disruptor, white shirt, and chains on his hands and legs. He was barefoot.

Bastila averted her gaze from Revan. She came closer to the center of the chamber. She was standing in front of the Grandmaster Atris right now.

"Hello Bastila," she said with a soft voice. Two things surprised young Padawan. Usage of her name and Grandmaster's tone.

"Well since all of us are here" Atris didn't wait for Bastila's answer. She looked around the Council chamber. Except for the twelve members of the High Council, there was also a Temple Guard and other three prisoners. Revan's companions. They were forced to watch helplessly as their General was going to be killed.

Revan remained still. He didn't move and he wasn't making any noises. The only sound coming from him was a steady breath.

Bastila now decided to look at the man she brought here. He was all but Revan she remembered.

His hair was a mess. Previously they were pulled backward. Right now they were falling on his face, covering his eyes. They had also burned endings.

His head was bowed in a resigned pose. A defeated stance.

His eyes remained shut. That's all Bastila could make out from behind the curtain of his hair. Though she could pretty well see the bags under them.

His lips also remained shut. He was breathing through his nose. And they were livid.

Then she moved her eyes down his body.

He was wearing a simple white shirt, way too big for him. It was covered in sweat and, she assumed, blood. It was also torn in few places.

He was wearing pants in the same color. And just like the shirt, they were too big.

"As the Grandmaster of the Jedi High Council, I, Atris, condemn this man before me, Revan, for the greatest penalty of all. We, the High Council, found him guilty of the following deeds: mass murders, betraying the Republic, he swore to protect, as well as the Jedi Order, leading many of his followers down the path of the Dark Side" she recited. She fought an urge to grin under her nose. Now, these were only formalities. In mere minutes, Revan would hear his judgment. "After summing up all of his crimes the Council has decided. You, Revan, are going to be stripped of the Force and you will be sent to the exile, just as your friend, Meetra" at mentioning her name, Revan lifted his eyes and placed them on Atris. The Grandmaster was taken aback by this. He shouldn't be capable of opening his eyelids. And yet there he was. Staring at her absently. Though she quickly regained her posture. "Do you have anything to say in your defense, Revan?" oh she had to toy with him, just a bit more. Despite Revan's mental strength, he wouldn't be able to say anything. He could only listen.

"If not, then the Council takes your silence as an affirmation of our judgment" she finished with a small smile dancing across her lips. This time Revan could do nothing to defend himself.

 _Always deal the final blow,_ she thought.

Atris gave a subtle nod to Bastila in order for her to begin. Even if she didn't want it. Her purpose was one. To find Revan in the Force.

This was something different than during the previous interrogation. This time the Council searched only for the place in the Force, where Revan was present. Normally it wasn't that difficult, but now the Dark Lord was wearing a neural disruptor around his neck. This caused to cloud him as a Force-sensitive being. And in consequences –hid his place in the Force.

But finding him was much easier for Bastila. She could feel his presence in the Force just like she could feel her own. She had a constant access to it. It was on the edge of her mind. Bastila carefully entered the Bond she was sharing with Revan.

* * *

 _Bastila was standing on… nothing, she realized. She didn't see or feel any sort of floor. It was like she was hanging in a midair._

 _She looked around._

 _It looked like a Galaxy, observed from the space. Millions upon millions of stars were shining around her. But she was looking for only one._

 _She found it quite easily. It was a familiar presence, in which she often relaxed. And it worked on her this time as well._

 _Revan's presence in the Force looked like a dying star. A white dwarf star. Previously he more resembled a red giant. But now he was a mere shadow of his former self._

 _Bastila approached Revan in the Force. Right now she was standing right next to him._

* * *

Revan could feel Bastila's presence near him. A subtle, soothing one, that made him abandon any fears. He knew that he had things to be afraid of. But he couldn't right now. He had no strength to fight.

Unwillingly he gave up to the relaxing feeling overwhelming him.

* * *

"I found him" Bastila whispered after few minutes of her trance, her eyes remaining shut.

Atris grinned again this day. In mere minutes, Revan is going to be no more. She nodded at the other Masters.

All Council, as one, searched for the Revan's presence in the Force. They found it easier, due to Bastila being right next to it. They looked at him

He was powerful. Even now. The form he took was only a consequence of a neural disruptor. Striping him off the Force would be such a waste. But they had to do it.

They approached him and acceded his presence in the Force. Then they began to consume it. It was an act, that would at the same time feed them. It would make the Council members more powerful. Atris smirked.

But a second after that, she almost lost her footing.

The entire chamber was filled with a piercing scream coming from Bastila. Masters reopened their eyes. She had her hands pressed to both sides of her head. Now she kept her mouth open with a voiceless scream. She was curled up on the floor, her knees brought to her chin.

Master Nomi Sunrider was first one to regain her posture. She ran up to the Padawan and helped her to calm down. Slowly her screams turned into nothing, though still, she sobbed a little.

"What has happened Bastila?" Atris spoke with a slight irritation in her tone. She wanted to get over with Revan and go back to her own business.

"I… I don't know" Bastila answered when she felt she could trust her voice. "I've just felt like my mind was being ripped apart into thousand pieces," she said. Atris was speechless. She only could look at Revan. A slight smirk was dancing across his lips. A victorious smirk. She walked to him and hit him on the cheek.

"What have you done with her, you monster?" she asked him. Pure hatred was heard in her voice. Revan didn't answer anything. He just looked at Master Vrook.

Atris followed his gaze up to her friend.

"Vrook?" she asked with a concern. He was feeling uneasy.

"Well, we met few obstacles when we were returning from our quest" he started with a trembling voice. His worst fears were now confirmed. "Revan was dying at one moment. The medics could do nothing to revive him".

"Bastila found herself in the medical bay right then. Not thinking that much over her actions, she entered Revan's mind and passed out. When she woke up, she told me that she stopped Revan on his way to becoming one with the Force". Vrook explained. It was the first time he explained Bastila's and Revan' bond. Atris understood everything.

The Force Bond. And a damn good one at this matter, if it could allow her to feel such pain of his, even through neural disruptor. How could she not foresee it? The Grandmaster looked back at Revan.

His eyes were slightly opened and his lips were curled up in a small smile. They moved a little, but no voice came out of them. Atris though could make out the unspoken words

 _Always. One. Step. Ahead._ Revan seemed to whisper. His smile never abandoning his lips. Atris' blood boiled in her. This arrogant fool dared to ruin their plans! AGAIN! Even while being closer to death than any of them ever was.

She slowly lifted her up from the spot nearby the Dark Lord. The poison in his body has fulfilled its task and Revan had no strength to keep his head up. It was hanging now almost on his chest.

Atris looked on the Padawan, who was struggling to stand on her feet. If not her rare gift of the battle meditation, the Grandmaster would sacrifice her without a second thought.

But she was necessary. They needed her as a weapon. She was their only mean of defense against the Sith. And now her life was bounded to the Revan's own. Ah, the Force surely wasn't with Atris that day.

The Council was silent. No one dared to speak. Not even other prisoners. They were only staring at their leader, though now, just like him, they held victorious smirks on their faces.

Atris was struggling to keep her rage at bay. They didn't have many options. Killing Revan would be for nothing. A second of pain, and he would be one with the Force. They, no, SHE wanted to make him suffer. She truly wanted him to be forced to curse the day he was born, his mother and father, who gave him life. The nameless world, that was his home. Everything.

But she couldn't. Revan was holding all the cards. They had one more left, but Atris was worried if he didn't have a prepared response for that one as well.

A soft thud broke the silence. Everyone looked in the direction it came from. Revan was lying unconscious on the marble floor. Showing them no respect again. He just passed out! Because of the poison of course, but if Atris' plan worked, he would be wide awake because of pain.

And now he was sleeping. On his own trial.

Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were only staring. A slight chuckle escaped their lips. They knew what was going on. Revan was going to survive this day.

* * *

Atris watched, as Revan was being dragged out from the Council chamber. She was sitting on her armchair. Only silence was being heard in the room.

Masters kept their eyes dropped to the floor. Some were holding their heads. They had to do something with Revan, that for sure. But they didn't know what it was.

Bastila was sitting on a small stair, next to the Master Sunrider. Her gaze was unfocused and absent.

Atris let out a sigh. Revan was becoming even more irritating than ever.

* * *

Poison started to make its way out of his body and the numbness was finally escaping began to slowly wake time it was, he was returning from the unconsciousness? He didn't know. But he was surprised to find himself in his cell again.

He didn't remember that well what happened in the Council chambers. He cautiously looked around.

Once again he saw Rex, Fox, and Wolfie. Always by his side. He smirked at them, and they returned the gesture, though their smiles were wider.

The smiles on the faces of all four men started to turn into a chuckle. Then a small laughter, and then they were laughing out loud.

They've escaped the death once more. Just like in the old, good times.

* * *

Bastila didn't know what to think. Revan survived his trial. Her previous actions saved him once again. And she was proud because of that.

The Jedi Masters couldn't be mad at her. After all, she fulfilled her task – the Dark Lord was brought to them alive.

 _Only to be killed by them_ , she thought. But it didn't matter at this moment. Revan has avoided the most terrible penalty of all. Though still, he wasn't safe.

The Council would not stop until they found some way to finish Revan. Even if they would be forced to keep him in this prison until the end of his days.

And that's something she did not like. Many times she was being lectured about forgiveness and sanctity of all life. And now the Masters were denying these words.

But her obedience to the Council took best of her. She knew that Revan truly was a threat and that he had to be punished. Even if her heart loudly protested against it.

* * *

Two days have passed since the Revan's trial and, finally, Council made its decision. They were united as to this act of punishment. Revan was going to have his identity wiped out and replaced.

There was no way, that it could affect Bastila somehow. This was something into someone's mind didn't cause any damage to the person on the other side of the bond. They contacted the Jedi Mind Healers in that matter.

This time it had to work. There was absolutely no way, that Revan would be able to defend himself, no matter how many Terentateks he would use against them. They would simply 'clean' him, just like you do with a droid.

Atris was smiling at this thought. Finally, she managed to find a way to punish this arrogant man.

But she didn't remember one thing. Revan was always one step ahead.

* * *

He was sitting in his cell all the time. The Jedi didn't have much of a choice. There remained only one thing there could do. And he was fully prepared for it.

He just didn't know, what the Council would do with his men. If the same fate would meet them, then he would need only a few days to undo the Council's actions.

The doors to the prison opened and again a Temple Guard walked towards his cell. They took him and his companions and led them the familiar path to the highest tower of the Jedi Temple, where the Council's chambers were placed.

* * *

The Masters collapsed out of tiredness. They did it! Finally, they managed to finish Revan. They have wiped out his identity and memories and reprogrammed him with a new personality, one loyal to the Republic. This time, strangely, they met no resistance.

His companions were far easier to reprogram since they weren't the Force-sensitive beings. They were a childish play, compared to Revan.

But they did it. There was no more Dark Lord of the Sith or the General of the Mandalorian wars. Now there was only Alen Royce.

* * *

Bastila was back in her room now. Tears were slowly running down her cheeks. She just witnessed the 'death' of Revan.

His body remained, of course, but it was habited by some stranger right now.

She wiped out her tears. _That was necessary_ , she reasoned herself. The Council also explained her the plan.

She was supposed to have an access to Revan's memories because of their when she did, Bastila would be able to get some knowledge of Revan's source of power that made him invincible.

She has just witnessed a turning point of the Jedi Civil War.

* * *

 **Okay, I'm done with another chapter :D. I know I've said that I wasn't going to update it today, but turned out that I had a lot of free time today and managed to write another one. Additionally, I'm addicted to this story hahaha and I have to keep writing. So until my ideas expire and I will be struggling with other chapters, you can expect updates pretty often. But in turn, I want as many reviews from you guys as you can write. It doesn't take a lot of time and it helps me as an author. Also, I would like you to add this story to your 'favorites' and to follow it so you can know when the newest update comes out.**

 **And please this is very important for me: write in the comments if this chapter was realistic. I did my best to make Revan's trial as real as I could but I honestly don't know if this is good. Then please help me and write your thoughts about this chapter. I will be thankful for both positive and negative comments. See you soon!**


	7. Chapter 6

**So the story just keeps on going. I hope you like it so far, and if you do then make sure to place a comment, add it to your 'favorites' and follow me so you can be informed about latest updates. It also helps me as an author and makes me want to finish this story. So right now read another chapter and later, when you're done, write a review and do all these things I mentioned :D.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 6

Two months had passed since Revan's death and the Alen Royce's birth. But it gave nothing to the Republic.

Malak, the new Dark Lord, wasn't worse than his predecessor. The Sith were still rampaging across the Galaxy, never being defeated. It was only a matter of time before they move to the Core Worlds. Capturing of Darth Revan didn't stop the Empire in their war. Only one thing has changed.

When Revan was in charge, the worlds were being only conquered. Now they were being destroyed. Malak was continuing what he started on Telos IV. He was turning planets into dust just for the sake of destruction. Revan, at least, didn't erase entire species from the face of the Galaxy.

And the war still was going downhill for the Republic. Malak's secret weapon still hasn't been found and his armada was endless.

Even Bastila's battle meditation wasn't giving any results. Their enemies simply outnumbered them.

The Republic and the Jedi Order was desperate again. Nothing seemed to give any results. They had Revan, of course, but only his body. And his body was pointless without the information he possessed.

But this information was there. And they had to find a way to get access to them. Though they simply didn't know how to do it. There was only one possibility, though it was very risky. But it was worth the risk if it worked.

* * *

Alen Royce was sitting in his room in the Republic's barracks. He was reading the new set of orders, he just received. He was being transported to the cruiser, Endar Spire. Up to this time, he served on the Harbinger as a simple trooper.

His sudden reassignment surprised Alen. But he could do nothing than just to comply the orders. He was no one. A single trooper. One of the millions in the Republic's army. With a small shrug of his shoulders, he started to pack his things.

He didn't have a lot to pack. Some spare clothes, a few credit chips, a toothbrush and his identity card. And his rifle of course. A simple blaster. It wasn't something great, but still better than nothing.

Alen sat down back on his bed. Tomorrow in the morning he would be taken to the Endar Spire.

The Republic soldier shut his eyes and brought his hands to his temples. A headache was something he had very often. A pulsing pain inside of his skull. He contacted medics in this matter and they told him that it can be due to an accident he took part in not that long time ago.

Strangely he didn't remember this accident. He barely remembered anything from his life, except the past two months. Other memories seemed… distant to him.

And here's another one thing. His whole body seemed distant to him. Like he was a stranger, living in someone else's body. And it was worrying him. The medics had no answer to it. They simply said that it would pass. Alen just accepted their response and waited for this feeling to stop.

But it didn't. If anything, it was only reinforcing itself with each day. He knew plenty of foreign languages. But he didn't remember learning them. He knew a lot of combat styles, as well as computer programming. But he didn't remember learning it either. He only remembered this, what happened in the past two months.

Alen just shook his head a little in order for pain to pass by. He lifted himself up from his bed and walked up to the table. He took some painkilling as well as sleeping pills and drank a glass of water. After that, he returned to his bed and decided to fall asleep. He had to wake up early the next morning.

* * *

He was waiting. Patiently. Hidden far from the Jedi's reach. And he was watching.

He watched from a distance as his body was being habited by some stranger. He had to make him go away. Or join caused him to feel uneasy in his body. He sent a lot of subtle questions to the strange identity, as well as a headache, meanwhile preparing himself for the return. He made sure to mask his presence in the Force. If the Jedi felt him, he wouldn't be so lucky as the last time.

But, despite what the Council thought about him, he was patient. He could outmatch most of the Jedi Master in this matter. He had a lot of time to learn patience after all.

And his waiting was finally rewarded. He was prepared to come back two months ago but the Jedi were watching him. They watched if some of his identity didn't return. So he had to wait.

And now the Jedi weren't spying on him anymore. They believed that they have managed to defeat him. But they were far from it.

Revan watched intensively as his body was being laid on the bed by a stranger. Now was the time to fulfill his plan.

* * *

 _Alen was standing in a middle of the room, being lit by the one light from above. He cautiously looked around._

 _He saw a man pinned to the interrogation table. His arms and legs were restrained and he had a neural disruptor around his neck. He was wearing the remains of what seemed to be a white shirt. His whole upper body was covered in blood and bruises as well as the gashes._

 _His hair was a mess. They were falling on his face, hiding it. Long, black strands were now soaked up in a sweat and blood._

 _A man walked up to the interrogation table. He was wearing a yellow armor with a helmet that covered his features. A Mandalorian, Alen was caring a knife._

 _Alen was staring helplessly as the man neared the interrogation table. He noticed as a prisoner pinned to it, shivered when he heard the heavy footsteps._

 _"I have a question I would like you to answer," Mandalorian asked, running his knife through the other person's chest, making a new wound on his already broken body. The man only shivered at the cold sensation of a sharp metal against his skin. But he said nothing. "It was said to me that you're are THE Revan. The only one who had guts to stand against us. The only worthy of us opponent. But I realized that you're not him. You're an imposter. Revan would never allow himself to get caught. Revan would fight to his death. And you did not. So I ask you. Who are you? And why you're claiming to be someone you're not? Why are you wearing his mask and armor?" Mandalorian finished. Alen was staring blankly. He heard about Revan, of course. But this? This certainly wasn't him. It was a mere imposter. Revan was, after all, invincible during the conflict with the Mandalorians._

 _"You say nothing?" the man in a yellow armor continued, as his 'guest' didn't respond. "Well then, I think that I'll force it out from you," he said and hit the prisoner in his midsection. He cried out from pain and twitched violently as his inner organs were being crushed by a heavy punch. And in his shaking, the hair has fallen from his face, revealing it. He had Alen's face._

 _Alen did nothing as the image around him suddenly changed. He didn't understand it. He clearly saw himself pinned to the interrogation table. Was it an accident the medics told him about? No, it couldn't be. The Mandalorian wars ended over four years ago._

 _Now he watched as the same man in yellow armor was sitting at the table. This time he had his helmet taken off. He was eating something that looked like a steak. But Alen wasn't sure._

 _He noticed a shape entering the room they were in. He didn't see who it was though. Shadow was hiding this person. The only detail Alen saw, was a knife._

 _The person came up to the Mandalorian and pushed him against the table, holding his knife to his throat. The very same knife the prisoner was being tortured with._

" _You want to know why I was wearing Revan's mask and armor? I'll tell you then. Because I. Am. REVAN" the person whispered into his ear and sliced his throat._

 _Alen watched as this person lifted himself up from the man laying on the table. He was now fully lit by the light hanging from the ceiling. Alen's breath died in his throat._

 _This man looked exactly like him. The only difference was that the man's face was covered in bruises and his beard was much shorter than Alen's. And his hair was much longer than the Republic's trooper._

 _But his face looked exactly the same. Revan had a long cut, where Alen had a scar. Their eyes were of the same color. The same emerald green orbs. He was staring at them. And then everything went black._

* * *

 _Alen found himself in a room made out of glass. He didn't know where he was. Stars were visible through the transparent panels that made floor, walls and the ceiling. After a while he realized, he was in space._

 _And someone was with him. A man in a dark-brown armor and a black cape. It was pinched to the breastplate by small straps. Around his midsection was hanging a hoop. Four bands were coming out of it. Two of them were connected to the leather belt he was wearing on his hips, while the other two circled man's legs and disappeared behind them. From his belt hanged out small, metallic, silver circles. To two of them were attached handles of the lightsabers. The long red band was falling down in the front of the man's legs. He was also wearing red gauntlets on his forearms and black gloves on his hands. His hood was put on. But the most recognizable was his mask._

 _Through over the years, it has turned into a symbol. A relic almost. For some, it was a symbol of hope, for others – of doom._

 _A dull gray mask with some red marks and a black vizier. It was covering his face, but Alen could feel eyes of the person behind that mask on himself. Even if he never saw him before 'face to face' he knew who was this man. He has grown into some kind of legend even. But why did he appear in Alen's dream? He did not know._

" _Who are you?" the Republic soldier asked the man standing in front of him. It was a pointless question of course since he knew perfectly well who this person was. But how differently he could start a conversation? 'Hi Revan, why are you in my dream?' Yea, this would be perfect, he thought with sarcasm._

" _I think that it's ME who should be asking this question" Revan answered. "After all, you are the stranger here" he added. Alen frowned._

" _What do you mean?" he asked._

" _Answer my question and I'll answer yours" Revan responded. Alan was watching him cautiously._

" _I am Alen Royce, a Republic soldier" he introduced himself, but his name sounded strange to him. Almost as it wasn't his own one._

 _"Ah, so you think so," Revan said with a hiss. "Well,_ ALEN _, now I can answer your question. You see, I didn't bring you here without a reason" he started. Alen wanted to say something but Revan has silenced him with his hand. "Other questions later. Well, believe it or not, I know very well who you are. I've been watching you for the past two months and…" he was explaining but Alen interrupted his speech._

" _Revan is dead. He died two months ago" he snorted._

" _Two months ago, is it?" Revan asked. "Don't you find it strange that your life from before these two months seems… distant to you? Haven't you felt like an outsider in your own body?" this time it was he who was asking the questions._

 _Alen only nodded. He knew perfectly well what this man was talking about, though he never found it strangely coincidental. He never thought about the possible connection between Revan's death and his problems with memory._

" _I've shown you my memories. Haven't you found the similarities between my face wound and your scar? Isn't it strange that our faces looked practically the same?" Revan was asking and Alen had no response. He didn't want to let these words sink into his mind._

" _You have many abilities and skills. Though you don't remember learning them. Your memories of your past life seem distant to you. As they were not yours. You know it" he continued. Alen shook his head._

" _I don't know what you're talking about!" he responded. "I am Alen Royce, a Republic trooper born on Deralia. I've been in the military for seven years now" he said but these words weren't convincing even himself._

 _Revan said nothing at this sudden outburst. He just lowered his hood and removed his mask. Alen gasped in shock._

 _He was staring at his own face again that night. There were two differences. He had short hair, a military cut, while Revan had long ones, pulled backward. Alen had also a full-grown beard, while the person in front of him was smoothly shaved. But except these differences, they looked pretty much the same._

 _A scar started on both of their faces above their left eye, going through the nose, and stopping over the right corner of their mouths._

 _Their eyes were the same color. The same, deep, emerald green orbs._

 _Their lips were similarly thin. They had a neutral color. Not livid, but at the same time, not fiercely red._

 _Their eyebrows had the same shape and color. They were black and had a wave shape._

 _Even their bodies looked similarly. They both had a V-like chest and lean, yet packed, arms. They even held the same pose. A stance of the predator. One waiting for his prey and preparing to advance on it._

 _Alen was now struggling to keep standing on his feet, truth downing upon him. Why didn't he remember the 'accident' from before two months? Why his life from before this event seemed so unreal to him? Why didn't he remember Revan's death? Finally, why did he look just like the man in front of him?_

 _The truth was simple, but at the same time, complicated. Highly he was Revan, then why was he turned into someone else?_

" _I know what you're thinking right now. After all, we are the very same person. I am you, and you are me. If you allow me, I'll show you an answer on every question that's bothering you in this moment" Revan broke the silence. Then the scenery around them has changed._

 _They were now in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. In the Council's chambers. They were watching as the Jedi Masters were sitting around one man who was lying unconscious in the middle of the room._

" _Revan is too dangerous to be kept alive. Though his memories are still useful for us" one of the Masters spoke. It was a woman with white hair, pale skin, and equally white robes. Other Masters only nodded at it._

" _That's why we need to change his mind. We must replace his identity with the one loyal to the Republic. His memories should be within Bastila's reach thanks to her Bond she shares with him" another Master has spoken. He was an old man with grey hair and regular brown robes. Again other Masters only nodded._

 _The scenery has changed again. The person, who previously was in the middle of the Council's chambers, was laying on the bed in the medical bay._

" _He's not Revan anymore" the white woman spoke. "Right now it is Alen Royce. And that's what you are going to tell him when he wakes up" she said to the medics, handing them a small datapad. They complied by taking it. The Jedi Master left the medical bay._

 _The scenery has changed again and they were back in a glass room in the middle of space._

" _Now you see what the Jedi Council did to me" Revan spoke. "They wiped me out from my mind and replaced me with you. I don't blame you though. It wasn't your choice. You're a victim, just as I am. After all, we are one. I am you from before the past two months, and you are me from the last sixty days. Accept it. Cause this is the truth" Revan finished and was eyeing Alen patiently._

 _He, on the other hand, didn't know what to think. He was deceived. The Republic lied to him and he was a mere puppet in the Order's hands. And here suddenly appeared Revan. Telling that they are one being. That seemed ridiculous, but after what he has just seen, he believed it. To some point._

 _Revan got closer to Alen. Now he was standing two meters away from him._

" _I ask you again, stranger" he started. "Who are you?" the question hung in the air._

 _Alen lifted his eyes and placed them on the man before him. They were even of the same height. And now in his orbs was found determination that wasn't there before._

" _I. Am. REVAN" he spoke in the same tone as the Revan from the memory he saw earlier. The man before him has only smirked._

 _Suddenly their bodies started to get closer to each other, being pulled by an invisible force. When they touched one another, their bodies began to coalesce._

 _When the process has finished, only one person remained. Clad in the armor and a cape. With short, spiky hair and a full grown beard. He smiled under his nose._

 _He has returned._

* * *

 **Okay, guys, that's all for this chapter I hope you enjoyed my version of Revan (or Alen at this point) regaining his true identity. Personally, I don't like the canon in this matter, I always liked the version, when Revan found out earlier who he was. And if you do like it then make sure to add this story to your 'favorites', follow me, so you can know when the update comes out, and write a comment. Once again I want to say thanks to two guys: Aggiefan15 and JourneyRocks13. They are writing reviews to each chapter and they boost my ego :D. But still, I want to ask all the rest of you to write a comment. It doesn't take a lot of time and its free and it can help me as an author. See you soon guys!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Here comes another one. I hope you enjoy my story so far and if you do, then let me know it, by adding it to your 'favorites', following me and leaving a comment.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 7

Alen carefully lifted his eyelids. But he wasn't Alen anymore. He was Revan.

He blinked few times in order to readjust to the eyes he hasn't used for two months. In the beginning, they were a little hazy. But after a moment, he began to see normally. Feeling that he could trust his body, he slowly tried to lift himself into a sitting position.

He had to use a wall for support. His head was spinning, not allowing him to keep himself up on his own. Revan was keeping his hand on the wall in order not to fall back down on the pillow. He didn't have much time. He had to regain control over his body quickly.

When he felt the spinning starting to go away, he tried to keep sitting without any help. Slowly he retracted his hand and moved his legs from under the cover and placed them on the floor.

When his feet touched the cold floor, his head spun again. Revan brought his hands to his temples, in order to calm the spinning. He rested his elbows on his knees and wiped his face in order to get rid of the sleepiness and dizziness.

After a moment he felt the diagnostics to fade away. After it abandoned him, Revan tried to stand up. When he did, he had to again lean against the wall for support. His legs felt numb. He barely could force them to hold his weight. He slowly tried to walk against a wall. He had to do it carefully cause he almost fell to his knees. He chuckled slightly.

Who would think that, oh so mighty Revan, savior of the Republic during Mandalorian wars and later conqueror, the Dark Lord of the Sith, who almost brought the very same Republic and the Jedi Order to its knees, would be struggling to regain control over his body? Ah, sometimes the Force had some sense of humor. He chuckled again. He didn't assume, that his return will be a little complicated.

But he didn't spend the previous two months waiting, only for a little dizziness to defeat him. No. He just needed a moment to readjust to his body.

Once again he took a step forward. This time it was a little easier. He took another one. He didn't need a wall for support anymore. Revan retracted his hand.

His legs still felt a little clumsy, but slowly, they started to regain their old strength. He couldn't force them for now, he knew. Before he would start running, he had to walk a lot to gain a full control over them once again.

He cautiously walked to the table, standing in the middle of a small room. A datapad was laying on it. He carefully lifted it up and turned it on.

It contained orders. He was reassigned to the cruiser, Endar Spire. It was a flagship under the commandership of…

Revan almost fell to the floor when he read it. He was assigned under General Bastila Shan. When was she promoted to the General's rank? _Do they think that I really am so stupid?_ He asked himself. Did the Republic or the Jedi Council know about his secret feeling towards Bastila? And if they did, have they decided to torment him?

Or maybe she asked for his reassignment? But it wouldn't have any sense. He wasn't Revan officially. He was _Alen Royce_ for all of the Galaxy. So why was he assigned under Bastila's command?

After a minute he decided not to think about it right now. He had to focus on hiding his true self from others. Revan picked up a small mirror, laying on the table.

He didn't have his long hair anymore. He had a regular military haircut. Short, spiky hair. But they have grown back a little.

He also had a full-grown beard. Something he never liked. It was scratching him under his mask, so he always was smoothly shaved.

But now it was for his own good. After all, he was easily recognizable. But with this change of appearance, he wouldn't be drawing much of attention. Revan ran a hand through his beard.

Despite him being only twenty-four, his facial hair wasn't youthful anymore. It was a fully grown, matured beard. It was covering his cheeks and mouth and was giving him a more manlike appearance.

He decided to leave it for now. With a time he would shave it but now he had no time for it.

He had to be in the Republic hangar in around one hour. From there, a shuttle would take him to the Coruscant's orbit, where the cruiser, Endar Spire, was waiting.

Revan's thoughts trailed towards his bodyguards. He was wondering if they were executed. And if they weren't, what happened to them? Did they still remain in prison? Or were reprogrammed just like him? And if they were, what happened to them next?

Revan shook his head. He had to find them, but not now. Right now he needed to focus on his task at hand. He checked the bag, where his belongings were. Revan added to it a razor and hand mirror as well as a shaving gel.

He picked up his shoes and put them on. It was a simple soldier design, that was supposed to nullify sound of the footsteps. They were of a knee-height and had attached a piece of armor. Nothing special. A piece of metal painted orange. Shoes themselves were black, except for few spots, where they were worn out. These spots were light-gray.

He had pants on already. They were made out of a thin, yet hard material. A standard Republic orange was their color. They were fabric new. This material was very comfortable and prevented frostbites. He then picked up a shirt, which was hanging on the chair.

It was more of a vest than actual top cloth. It was made of the same material as pants, though it was pitch black. It served as an undershirt. An armor was going on top of it.

Then he proceeded to the breastplate, laying on the table. It also had a standard Republic orange color. And just as the armor on legs – it wasn't anything special.

A simple piece of metal covered in orange paint. It didn't deliver much of a protection, but certainly, it was better than nothing.

Revan strapped everything to himself and looked into his reflection in the mirror. He looked like a regular soldier of the Republic. At least he hoped so. But he didn't stand out in any way.

Once again he came up to the table and picked up his blaster rifle and the bag with his belongings. He was ready for the departure.

* * *

Bastila was sitting in her quarters in the Endar Spire. It was her first flagship, she was commanding. But right now, no one needed her so she used the spare time to meditate. Something she hasn't done for a while.

She was thinking about her mission. Revan was assigned to her ship. _Alen,_ she corrected herself. Revan was no more. Council made sure of it.

But his memories were still in his body. They haven't disappeared together with the Dark Lord. They have remained and now her main purpose was to get an access to them.

But she couldn't. She tried few times, but she couldn't find these memories. She even couldn't enter the Bond she shared with Revan. Bastila reported it to the Council. And they have changed a strategy.

They believed that if _Alen_ remained somewhere near the Bastila, due to the Bond she shared with Revan, his lost memories would start to come up to his subconscious. And the young Jedi General would be able to gain access to them.

She knew that it wasn't fair. This thing that the Council did to Revan. They lectured thousands of Padawans about the sanctity of all life.

And yet they killed him. They have denied all their teachings by removing his identity from his body and replacing it with someone else. But Bastila was in no position to stand against the Council. She could only comply. And now she had him under her commandership. In few hours he would be on this ship. So close and yet so far.

Bastila closed her eyes more tightly to keep tears from falling down her cheeks. Her heart was broken again. She would be seeing Revan, and yet it would be someone else. It won't be him anymore. It wouldn't be the same person, who kissed her on the plains of Dantooine. It won't be her closet friend, who helped her a lot of times in her studies. It will be a stranger.

She felt a small tear trailing down her face. She wiped it with a sleeve of her robe. But more of them started to fall.

She was crying uncontrollably. For a hundredth time since Revan's capture. She even questioned the purpose of her previous mission. Would it be better, if Revan was still in charge of the Sith Empire? Would they find any other way to defeat him? She didn't know answers to these questions. She was certain only of one thing.

The man she loved would be still alive.

* * *

Revan was walking up the loading ramp of a shuttle that was supposed to take him to Endar Spire. It was a small ship destined only for transports on a planet surface or to the orbit. It didn't even have a hyperspace drive.

The former Dark Lord sat down on a bench. The loading ramp was now shut and the ship took off. In mere minutes he would be under Bastila's command.

He smirked at this thought. Would she recognize him? Did she even remember him? He didn't know. But he hoped to find out soon.

After few minutes the ship has landed in a hangar. Revan slowly lifted himself up from the bench he was sitting on and picked up his bag and the blaster.

When the loading ramp was lowered, he stepped out of the shuttle.

The hangar was big. It could keep a lot of starfighters and a crew. It was, as practically everything in the Republic military, of orange and a light-grey color. The lights were shining brightly, though few didn't work.

He noticed someone coming up to him. A man with blond hair, in a Republic uniform, similar to his own.

"It's good to see you. I'm Trask Ulgo" the man introduced himself and extended his hand.

"My name is Alen Royce" Revan replied and took Trask's hand, shaking it. There was no point in being too suspicious. He had no intentions to stand out.

"I know already," Trask said. "I've checked your records in the database. It's good to know who are you working with" he finished.

Revan almost started to laugh.

He, of course, appreciated it. It only spoke well of a man in front of him. But he wanted to laugh for another reason.

Trask said he knew him already. But it was all a lie. His database's records were lies. So this man knew nothing of his true self.

"We'll be bunkmates" Trask continued while retracting his hand. "Come on, I'll show you the quarters you're sleeping in. Revan silently complied and followed the man before him.

* * *

Revan sighed heavily when he was left alone. Trask was a good man and soldier, from what he found out after talking to him. But he was simply too… chatty. He kept on talking for three hours before he left Revan alone.

Now he was in his quarters. Trask explained that they have shifts at different times, so they won't be seeing too much each other. Something Revan was thankful for. He always preferred privacy.

Their quarters had cameras, so any usage of the Force was impossible. He didn't want to risk being seen by someone. He tossed his bag onto the bed and walked to the imitation of a refresher. It contained a sonic shower. Nothing more. _Perfect, water is out of my reach now,_ he thought. Any thoughts of working out had abandoned him as well. First of all, he still had no strength to do a simple exercise, and second, lack of the running water would make cleaning the sweat impossible. And in consequences, he would stink, while Bastila was somewhere on this ship. He couldn't allow himself to stink in her presence.

Revan decided to take a walk. He didn't have straight orders of what to do when he wasn't on shift. And learning few things about the ship was certainly a good idea.

With that in mind, he left his quarters. He had only a small knife, tucked into his belt, as a mean of self-defense. Revan put his hands into his pockets and began his 'tour'.

* * *

Through the next two hours, Revan got quite familiar with the ship. He knew how to get to the escape pods in the fastest way possible from his quarters. The armory was something, he saw only from afar – he wasn't allowed to enter it.

Now he was heading to the cantina. The lunchtime was beginning to approach, and Revan was in a mood for something good to eat.

Not watching where he was going, he stumbled upon a soldier. He was used to the people coming out of his way.

"Watch your steps, soldier" a voice said. Revan almost leaned against the wall when he heard this voice and saw who it was, he stumbled upon.

It was no one other than Rex. _His_ Rex, one of his bodyguards. Revan quickly regained his posture and looked around. No one was seen in the corridor and the cameras weren't turned in their direction. It was a perfect opportunity. Later it could not happen again.

"Hello Rex" he replied. The man looked at him in confusion.

"Look I don't know how you know me, but if you…" he started but was cut off by Revan.

The former Dark Lord took out his hand from the pocket and waved it in front of the soldier's face. The man's eyes hazed for a moment and he was standing without moving for good two minutes.

And then his eyes regained their focus. Rex blinked few times and looked at the man before him.

"General" he saluted. Revan smirked. The Republic could not make it any easier for him, could they? He reclaimed one of his most trusted men. He would need him, as well as two others, to go on with whatever plan he had.

"It's good to see you again, Rex. But I'm not General. At least not formally" Revan replied. "Right now I'm a soldier, just like you, and my name is Alen Royce and that's how you will refer to me for now," he said. He didn't want to be discovered by some unwary comments.

"Of course, _Alen_ ," Rex said, trying the new name on his tongue. It was… difficult to refer to Revan by the different name. But he knew what was going on, and understood, that it was for their own good to keep a low profile.

"Very well" Revan answered, smiling lightly under his nose. "Now, are Fox and Wolfie on this ship as well?" he asked. If yes, then it was a childish play for him already.

Rex nodded in response. Revan's smile grew wider at that.

"Good. So, would you mind taking me to them? It would be good to reunite with them as well" the former Dark Lord pleased. Rex again just nodded and started to walk towards the living quarters. _Lunch can wait a bit,_ Revan stated.

* * *

Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were staring at their leader. They were sitting in their living quarters.

"So what's the plan?" Fox asked.

"As for now, we are in no position to do anything" Revan started, his arms crossed on his chest. "We don't have much of a choice than to adjust to the current situation. We need to keep a low profile. Standing out on anyway won't be good for us" he finished.

"And do you have any idea of what to do?" Wolfie asked.

"First of all, we will have to find a way out of this ship. If we want to do anything, then we must get away from the Republic's eyes. And that's all I come up with right now" Revan responded. Truly, they were in no position. They were like a rounded, cornered prey.

But they weren't defeated. Not yet. The Jedi Council made a huge mistake, letting them out of their eyes. A mistake, the four men had to exploit.

The first step was done. They were together again. Fully aware of their surroundings and what was going on. Now they just had to adjust to the situation they were in.

* * *

Bastila was sitting in the cantina, at the table with Carth Onasi – a Republic officer. She was eyeing her meal without appetite. Her companion, on the other hand, was eating like it would be the last food in his life.

"What is it, Bastila?" he asked. Carth was one of not so many people, who called her by name. Most of the crew referred to her as 'General' or 'Captain'. But Carth was someone, who, she thought, she could call almost a friend.

But they weren't that close though. She used to have three friends. And now, one of them has vanished somewhere in the Galaxy after being sent into exile. The second one was in charge of the Sith Empire. And the last one, her best friend, and lover was… _dead_ , she realized.

But Carth was a good companion. Someone, who actually listened to _her_ and not to the 'General' or a 'Jedi with battle meditation', no. He was listening to the _Bastila Shan._

"Nothing. I'm just… tired" she lied. Telling the truth would be senseless. Would he believe her? That the Dark Lord was on this ship and she had to gain access to his lost memories, would he believe in it? She didn't think so.

After all, her mission wasn't top secret without a reason. No one, except the Council and the Jedi who accompanied her on the quest of capturing Darth Revan, knew of his current state. For the Republic and most of the Jedi Order, Darth Revan was dead.

* * *

Revan was eyeing himself in the mirror. After his 'reunion' with Rex, Fox, and Wolfie, he returned to his quarters in order to shave. The beard has started to annoy him.

Now he looked more like his former self, but he didn't care. Galaxy was big. Different people lived in it. And they could have a different appearance.

He ran his hand through his hair. For two months, they have grown a little. They were still short, but he was able to pull them backward. And that's what he did.

Now he looked more like himself, than _Alen._

Abandoning all thoughts about his true and fake identity, he walked out of his room and headed towards the cantina. His men were supposed to wait for him already.

* * *

Bastila was sitting in silence. Carth didn't say anything to her and she was thankful for that. She was in no mood for talks.

The doors to cantina opened with a hiss and a group of four men walked in. Bastila's heart skipped a bit when she saw who was amongst them.

There, at the front, was Revan. _Alen,_ she corrected herself. And he was with those, who were his personal bodyguards, during his reign as the Dark Lord.

She saw his image in the database, of course. But he made few changes to his face.

First of all, he was shaved. It made him look a year or two younger than he was in the reality.

The second change was his hair. He didn't let them fall on his forehead anymore. He had them pulled backward. They weren't as long as two months ago, but still, he looked much like his former self.

At this, a question rose in Bastila's head. _Has he started to regain his memories?,_ she asked herself. She began to panic. What if his true identity started to come up? What should she do in that case?

Strangely, she realized, she wouldn't do anything. She frowned as the realization dawned on her. Two sides were having a conflict inside her.

The first side was her mind. It screamed that she should warn the Council in order not to put their mission in danger. Her mind clearly said that she should watch Rev-, _Alen,_ she corrected herself again. And if she saw anything suspicious, she should report it to the Masters.

On the other hand was her heart. It whispered gently to her, that if Revan returns, then she would reclaim her beloved one. That everything would be the way it should have been. With her at his side, carrying their child in her arms.

It was an image that for the first time appeared in her head after theirs kiss on Dantooine. It was a vision, that, if fulfilled, meant she broke the Jedi Code.

But this thought was very tempting.

A loud laughter brought her back to presence. It was _his_ laughter. When was the last time she has heard Revan laughing?

 _But it's not him,_ a voice in her head whispered. She shut her eyes to prevent tears from falling. She couldn't believe how often she was actually crying. It made her feel weak.

Bastila reopened her eyes and placed them on _Alen._ He was sitting at the table at the far end of the cantina. He was talking about something with his companions. Something incredibly funny, what would explain the burst of laughter coming from their table.

She watched as her former lover stood up from his place and picked up a plate he was eating from. He carried it to the window, where the food was being given to the crew of the ship.

When he was coming back to his place, Bastila saw something that caused her blood to boil.

A female Republic officer came up to Rev-, _Alen_ and started to chat with him. Bastila watched intensively as this woman started to crack jokes with the former Dark Lord and even flirt with him.

Something twitched violently in Bastila when this 'intruder' bent down from laughter and used her hands to support herself, by accident placing them on _Alen's_ chest.

Bastila never before was so angry, as in that moment. She used every bit of her self-control, she could find, to keep herself from advancing on this woman and delivering her a simple message.

If Rev-, _Alen,_ couldn't belong to Bastila, then no woman had a right to him.

She watched in almost uncontrollable rage, as this woman smiled knowingly at her former lover and told something with her face close to his, her arms still resting on his chest.

And then something unimaginable has happened. _Alen_ stiffened, straightened himself up, said something and went back to the table he was sitting at previously. Bastila didn't know what to think.

First of all, it could be her imagination and she could simply misunderstand what she just saw.

But if it was what she thought it was, then she felt a relief. Her former lover has rejected that woman.

"Juno!" Carth's voice brought Bastila back to presence. She watched as the woman who was speaking with _Alen_ previously, came to the table they were sitting at. Bastila fought with all her power, not to kill this woman.

"What, the hell, was that?" Carth asked. At this, so called, Juno only smirked.

"Well, I wanted to know this new one a little better" she answered in a playful tone that made Bastila clench her fists under the table. "He looks nice, so why not to try?" she added. At this point, young Jedi was reciting the Code almost out loud.

"So what happened?" Carth continued.

"Oh, he said that he had to do a workout" Juno replied with a sad face. Bastila almost laughed when she heard that. That was something that hasn't changed in Revan. Even as a Padawan, he spent a lot of time on workouts. This _Alen_ – wasn't so different after all.

Bastila sighed when Juno left their table. She cast her eyes towards the place, where her former lover was previously. But he was gone now.

She sighed again. It was going to be a long mission.

* * *

 **Well here is another one. I hope you enjoyed it and if you did, then make sure to write a comment, add this story to your 'favorites' and follow me to not miss any update. Goodbye guys, till next time!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Another chapter has come, yay :D. I hope you enjoy reading my story, just as I enjoy writing it. And if you do, then let me know by reviews, clicking 'favorite', and following.**

 **Also, in the previous chapter, I added a female character, Juno. I would like to clear one thing. It's not a reference to Star Wars the Force Unleashed. I just needed to find some name for women in the military and it was a first name that came into my mind. And I was writing the second half of chapter 8 around 11 p.m. and finished it after midnight so my mind wasn't working that much XD. And it won't be an important character, I've just used her for that 'funny' moment with Bastila. But right now let's just go to another chapter.  
**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 8

Revan collapsed on his bed. It was a good decision to workout after all, even if his body protested in the process. He didn't force himself that much though. But some light exercises were within his reach.

Now he was cleaned with the sonic shower and was laying on the mattress. His thoughts drifted towards Bastila.

He saw her in the cantina. With a corner of his eye. But still, he saw her.

She looked just like when she boarded his ship, still wearing the same outfit that matched her woman curves. Her breasts have grown noticeably since the last time he saw her before the Mandalorian if she was sitting, it was visible. He didn't have that much of an occasion to notice it back on his ship.

Her face has changed as well. Now she looked like an adult. A baby fat, that was on her cheeks, has vanished. Now they have collapsed a little and her cheekbones were slightly noticeable.

Her eyes were still of the same grey color, though now, they seemed a little saddened and absent. He didn't see good, though, cause he looked at her from a far end of the cantina.

Her lips still were fiercely red. They have stood out and were drawing an attention. Revan had to fight back the urge to come over to Bastila and kiss her. He wondered how would she react.

Her black hair hadn't changed. They were still put in a ponytail, though he preferred her with her hair hanging freely, just like during their last meet before the Mandalorian wars. But right now she had this haircut and it looked pretty nice, he admitted. Two strands were dangling on both sides of her face.

She looked astoundingly. Undoubtedly, other men were checking her out, when she passed by, even if she was a Jedi. It only added her some mystery – something that was drawing representatives of a male gender. Revan could do nothing with it and he knew it. He only clenched his fists. _I'm going to personally rip apart, limb by limb, anyone who dares to check her out,_ he promised to himself.

He, of course, saw her companion, who was sitting next to Bastila at the table. But he didn't look like someone, who was interested in her. This man certainly wasn't checking her out.

 _A widower,_ Revan realized. He saw this look on that man's face very often in his past and definitely could recognize it. Not knowing why, the former Dark Lord started to think, how the man's wife died.

He shrugged out of his thoughts and decided to try to fall asleep. His bunkmate, Trask Ulgo, was on his shift so Revan had to make usage of the silence and privacy to try to get some rest.

* * *

"My lord? The Republic forces are approaching. They're going to be within our reach in about fifteen minutes" Admiral Saul Karath reported with a bowed head. He watched intensively, as the man before him was only staring at the viewport.

"Very well" the man spoke with a metallic voice. "Then I suggest you prepare yourselves for our guests to arrive" he added, turning to the Admiral. His golden eyes were shining on the almost dark bridge.

Karath, unwillingly, took a step back. He never liked to stare into Malak's eyes. They were terrifying. Together with the Dark Lord's impressive physics, it made him intimidating. The dead-like, pale skin caused everyone to shiver out from fear, as well as the metallic voice.

"As you wish, my Lord" Admiral responded with a bow and returned to repeat orders to the crew. Malak, once again, turned to the viewport. He would smile if he had his lower jaw, but in turn, he only did it in his mind. If everything worked well, young Bastila with her battle meditation would be in his hands.

* * *

Revan was wriggling in his bed. He had to limit his access to the Force in order for the Jedi not to sense him. But despite those limits, a warning was coming to him. He felt the presence of his former apprentice approaching rapidly. And with it came a very familiar feeling, he experienced last time on the bridge of his ship.

 _Betrayal,_ he realized, opening his eyes. At that moment the ship shook violently. They were pulled out from the hyperspace.

Revan lifted himself up and dressed up as quick as he could. He cursed himself for not foreseeing it. Again, he hadn't felt the betrayal.

When he was done with putting on his armor, the doors to his living quarters opened and Trask came in.

"We've been ambushed by a Sith battle fleet!" the blond man announced when he stepped through the doors. "The Endar Spire is under attack! Hurry up – we don't have much time!" Trask finished. Revan eyed him cautiously. Something in the Force started to scream in his presence, but these thoughts abandoned him when the ship rocked again.

"Have we been pulled out from the hyperspace?" Revan asked. If the answer was yes, it would ensure him in the betrayal of someone from the crew.

"Yes, but we do not have time for that" Trask responded. "Now hurry up, we have to find Bastila! We have to make sure she makes it off the ship alive!"

Revan nodded, saying nothing. His presence here still remained a secret, so it was obvious, that Bastila would be a target. Her battle meditation was a rare gift and if in Malak's hands, it would give the Sith an even bigger advantage than the one they had currently.

"Fine, let's go" the former Dark Lord responded and they left the living quarters.

* * *

Bastila was running to the escape pods. The Sith have already boarded the Endar Spire and now she was making her way through the dead bodies, laying on the floor.

With a corner of her eye, she noticed a dead woman. She walked up to her and looked at her face. It was Juno, the very same one who dared to flirt with _her_ Revan.

Bastila knew, that she was supposed to be touched by the death of every one of the crew, but somehow she couldn't. Instead, a small smile found its way on her lips, as she was staring into the dead woman's face. It was a victorious smirk. Very similar to the one Revan often had. She knew that it was childish and that she was supposed to be over that. But she couldn't.

She shook her head to get rid of the dangerous thoughts and continued her way towards the escape pods.

* * *

After few steps, they stopped because of their communicators' sounds. Someone was contacting them.

"This is Carth Onasi – the Sith are threatening to overrun our position!" a voice in their communicators spoke. "We can't hold out long enough against their firepower! All hands to the bridge!" he continued. With that, the devices were silent again.

"That was Carth, contacting us on our portable communicators" Trask cared to explain. "He's one of the Republic's best pilots! He's seen more combat than the rest of the Endar Spire's crew put together" he finished. Revan didn't know if he should feel offended.

Did this man assume him an idiot? He understood when the man on the other side of communicators introduced himself. What was the point in repeating it? It was only a waste of time.

And second, his mention of Carth's battle experience. _If only he knew!_ Revan almost chuckled at the thought. But this was a waste of time as well.

"If he says things are bad, you better believe it. We have to go to the bridge to help defend Bastila!" Trask spoke again. Again a pointless talk, while they could be already on their way. But Revan just ignored that. The man before him didn't take their bad position seriously, the former Dark Lord realized when he heard his companion speak again.

"There's a map of the Endar Spire and a copy of Carth's message in your electronic journal, just in case we get separated," he said. Revan had to fight an urge to punch the man before him. They were in hurry, weren't they? Then why did this idiot keep on talking?

"Fine, let's go" Revan responded. Trask appeared in the quarters like five minutes ago and already he irritated his bunkmate. For the first time in over four years, the former Dark Lord found himself reciting the first line of the Jedi Code. _There is no emotion. There is peace,_ he said in his mind, while unclenching his fists. He wondered how was it possible for just one man to be so irritating.

Fortunately, Trask said nothing now. He just nodded and turned to the doors in front of them.

"These doors are locked" Trask spoke again. "But I can open them. Move away" he ordered. Revan was taken aback by how short his talk was right now.

The blonde man walked up to the terminal, standing next to the door and started to click something on it. After a moment they had a free way to the main hall of the Endar Spire.

On the other side of the doors, they saw a Republic soldier engaged in an exchange of blaster fire with two Sith soldiers. He avoided few of the shots, but finally, he was hit by both of his enemies in the chest, dying where he stood.

"These Sith must be the advance boarding party! For the Republic" Trask shouted and advanced on the Sith Soldier. Revan almost sighed. What was the point in that nonsense that soldiers were shouting before they engage themselves in combat? He didn't understand that.

But Revan wasn't going to just stand by. He took his blaster rifle and placed it on his shoulder, aiming to the closest of the Sith soldiers. He pulled a trigger and the man in a silver armor fell dead to the floor after taking a hit to his head. The second one was killed by Trask's precise shot.

"I've got the feeling that won't be our last battle with the Sith on this ship," the blond man said. _Force please, make this idiot shut up finally,_ Revan prayed in his thoughts. He responded nothing, he just passed by his companion and continued down the main hall.

They moved forward to the next door. This time they haven't been locked in any way. Revan opened them and immediately dashed himself to the side, taking Trask with him, as the blaster shot passed the place where previously his head was. Two Sith soldiers were firing at them. He unclipped a thermal detonator from his belt. He pressed a button and threw it into the room, covering his ears. After two seconds he heard an explosion as well as the sound of the armored body falling on the ground. They were dead. Revan sensed their pass in the Force. He lifted himself and walked into the room. Surprisingly, Trask said nothing.

They continued forward to the another door. They, as well, weren't locked. After he opened them, Revan found himself standing in front of his most trusted men. They were exchanging fire with the Sith soldiers, hiding behind the walls of the Endar Spire. The former Dark Lord felt a relief when he saw the three men.

Now, he wouldn't be forced to listen to Trask's pointless talk anymore. With Rex, Fox, and Wolfie joining them, they would have to share his fate. He smirked. He suffered his own with this irritating man. It was the best time for someone else to take the role of a listener.

Revan ran up to his former bodyguards and aided them with his own rifle.

"Good to see you alive, General" Rex whispered, only for them to hear it. Revan in response only nodded.

They continued their shooting, killing the Sith soldiers with deathly precision. It wasn't long before their enemies were lying dead on the floor. Revan put down his blaster rifle and came up to the nearest corpse. He picked up a vibroblade, the dead Republic soldier was holding in his hand. It was undoubtedly better for him than a ranged weapon.

"It's good to see someone else is making his way towards the bridge as well" Trask spoke. Revan decided to just ignore him and allowed his men to suffer. The blonde man was saying something, the former Dark Lord didn't hear at this point. He cautiously walked up to the door. The familiar humming of the lightsabers could be heard from behind them.

He didn't notice the four men approaching him from behind before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Fox making his way towards the doors, retracting his hand. He opened them.

"It's a Dark Jedi!" Trask gasped. Revan again clenched his fists. Did this man never shut himself up? He had no idea. "This fight is too much for us – we better stay back. All we'd do is get in the way."

Revan agreed to that. He hadn't been holding a sword for over two months. He didn't know if he would be able to defeat the man with a crimson lightsaber.

He used this time to watch two Force users engaged in combat. _Pathetic,_ he thought after half a minute. They both had their moves uncoordinated and clumsy, they were lacking the solid ground and didn't hold their weapons firmly. He watched intrigued as the Dark Jedi fell dead to the floor, and friskily when a small frag grenade exploded under the woman with a blue lightsaber.

"That was one of the Jedi accompanying Bastila. Damn, we could have used her help!" Trask said, but Revan wasn't listening to him. He was focused on the lightsabers, laying on the floor. He quickly ran up to them and picked them up. It was good to feel the familiar weight in his hands.

But he would have to remake them. The handles were designed terribly. They were unbalanced and made out of the bad materials. But nevertheless, they were lightsabers. As for now, they had to be enough for him.

He heard the blaster's sound and turned around. Two Sith soldiers were lying dead on the floor, killed by his companions.

"The bridge is right behind these doors," Trask said, pointing towards the computer terminal that was standing right in front of them.

They came up to the doors and opened them. They found themselves on the bridge, being filled by Sith and Republic soldiers engaged in combat. The five men used the element of surprise and quickly killed their enemies with precise shots. They were the only ones alive in this part of the ship.

"Bastila's not here on the bridge – she must have retreated to the escape pods!" Trask, again. "We better head that way too." He said.

They walked to the other side of the bridge, passing the command deck of the bridge. Through the viewport, they could make out a planet they were orbiting. _Taris,_ Revan stated, when he saw a large city on the surface.

They passed other doors and found themselves in a small corridor with two possible ways. Trask came up to the nearest door.

"There's something behind here" he mumbled and opened them with the computer terminal. On the other side was standing a tall, bald man wearing a dark-blue armor and robes. He was wielding a red lightsaber staff in his hand.

"Damn, another Dark Jedi! I'll try to hold him off, you get to the escape pods! Go!" Trask shouted running to the small hall and shutting the doors behind him. The second he was gone, the warning in the Force lessened.

"Who the hell was that guy?" Fox asked, referring to the blonde man who accompanied them. Revan smirked under his nose and turned to his friend.

"And what? Haven't you find his company interesting?" he teased. Fox only huffed.

"He's talking way too much" he answered. "I can only imagine what you had to be going through before you two stumbled upon us". At this Revan laughed out loud.

"Okay, let's go. The Sith are going to blow this ship into a space dust in mere minutes" Revan ordered. They passed through the next door and found themselves in the Starboard Section. The second they walked in there, their communicators beeped to life.

"This is Carth Onasi on your personal communicators," the voice said. "I'm tracking your position through the Endar Spire's life support systems. Bastila's escape pod is away – you four are the last surviving crew members of the Endar Spire! I can't wait for you much longer; you have to get to the escape pods!" with that their communicators went dead. This man at least made himself clear and didn't tell unnecessary things, like Trask.

He didn't say anything. He and his companions simply obliged Carth's orders and made their way to the escape pod chamber. On their way there, they met few Sith soldiers. They killed them swiftly, without any problems. Now they were in a small room with a broken droid standing next to the wall. Their communicators beeped again.

"Be careful!" Carth again. "There's a whole squad of Sith troopers on the other side of the door! You need to find some way to thin their numbers. You could reprogram the damaged assault droid to help you if you have enough repair parts. Or you could use computer spikes to slice into the terminal and use the Endar Spire's security systems against the Sith." With this, he disconnected.

"He at least says things clearly" Fox stated. They all chuckled at that. Revan came up to the terminal and broke into it. He could see with a camera the room behind the doors. Five Sith soldiers were in there. He decided to use this terminal to kill them, cause the droid didn't look like it would be stable enough to not explode right in front of their faces. He returned to the interface of the terminal and overloaded power conduit. Then he turned back to the camera. He watched as the five people in the room died due to the shock of the electricity. Revan smirked. It reminded him of good, old times when he used to torture people with the Force Lightning. He really enjoyed doing it. Then he retreated from the terminal.

"Okay, we're clear," he said to his men. They simply nodded and followed him to the next room. They've seen five corpses lying dead on the floor, as well as few Republic soldiers. But they didn't stop next to the dead ones. They just proceeded to the next doors.

"You made it just in time!" Carth greeted them. "There's only one active escape pod left. Come on, we can hide out on the planet below!" he said.

"Who are you?" Rex asked though it was pointless. Again, they were wasting time.

"Right now we have no time for introductions" Revan interrupted when he saw Carth wanting to answer that. "We have to get out so we can survive. There'll be time for questions later"

"That's a good point" Carth responded and proceeded to the last escape pod's terminal. After five seconds, the pod was ready to use.

"Okay, get in there" he ordered. The four men simply complied, by entering the small pod. It was tight in there. But they've managed to get in there. Carth entered as the last one. He clicked something and the pod launched itself, heading towards the planet below.

Revan was eyeing the man in orange jacket carefully. This was the same man, who was sitting next to the Bastila in the cantina, he realized. He studied his expression.

Definitely, he was a man who had suffered a lot in his life. It was easily visible in his eyes. The death of someone close to his heart. Revan almost sympathized the soldier. But such feelings were beyond his reach.

His thoughts were interrupted when the escape pod rocked violently. They have entered the atmosphere. The ground below them was approaching rapidly. Everyone in the pod was holding something to stabilize himself.

Revan tried to stay conscious, but failed miserably, when his head hit the metallic handle. The last thing he saw, before he passed out, was the approaching building of the Taris' Upper City. And then everything went black.

* * *

 **Okay, here's another one. If you liked this chapter, then you know what to do. Comment, follow and click 'favorite'. Also right now begins the most difficult part of this story, I think. I'll be retelling the events of the game and I'm using the original dialogues in most cases so it'll take me more time to write another chapter, cause I need to compare it to the game all the time (so I won't write anything on my lessons anymore XD). So stay tuned for the next updates (I'll try to post one more chapter during the weekend, but I don't know how it will turn out during the next school week).**


	10. Chapter 9

**Tenth chapter woho! I hope you do enjoy my story, and if you do, then follow, add to your 'favorites' (if you haven't done it yet) and leave a comment. That way you support me. Also, I would like to thank you all, cause my story has reached a number of 1000 views and approached a number of 200 visitors. It means a lot to me and once again thank you all for your support.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 9

Revan was in some sort of vision. A memory would be a better word, actually. It was a moment of his capture. The familiar pain in his head brought back to him the scene that played out on his bridge. He watched Bastila killing his Dark Jedi almost easily. She delivered a powerful thrust into the man's chest, taking his life out from him. Now there was only the Dark Lord left.

* * *

Carth watched as the man on the bed was wriggling uncontrollably. He checked his temperature to know if he had a fever. But he didn't.

The Republic pilot eyed suspiciously the other three soldiers. They looked similar to each other. Almost as if they were brothers.

All three had impressive posture. They looked like they've seen a lot of fights in their lives. And Carth was certain it was true.

He watched them through the Endar Spire's life support system. Their combat style was different than the one used by the Republic soldiers. They didn't act on their emotions. They were concentrated and kept the cold blood. Their shots were precise – something rarely seen amongst the soldiers, both Republic and Sith alike. And their melee combat also was different.

They more reminded Echani in combat than a regular soldier. Especially the one, laying on the bed. _Alen,_ Carth thought his name was. He moved swiftly and with practiced ease with the vibroblades. He sliced through the Sith minions, cutting them down. And that intrigued him.

Normally the Republic soldiers weren't that good in combat. They mostly were shooting blindly and their moves in melee exchange were clumsy and uncoordinated.

But these four acted more like bounty hunters or the Echani warriors. Their moves were planned and precise. And that caused Carth to wonder about his companions.

The three of them, who weren't laying unconscious, remained silent all the time. They didn't feel any need for talk. From time to time, they eyed the man, who was resting on the bed. Carth saw in their eyes something, that was coming close to admiration and anxiety. And that also intrigued him.

What was so special in this _Alen_? From what he found in his database, he wasn't anyone special. Of course, he had a lot of skills that made him almost a killing machine. At such a young age it was practically impossible to possess so many abilities. But other than that, he didn't find anything unique in the unconscious man. And yet his three companions acted as he was their General at least.

Carth's thoughts have stopped when he heard a groan from the bed. With a corner of his eye, he saw a movement from the three other soldiers. They watched so-called Alen intensively.

Carth decided to leave questions for later when the man returns from the unconsciousness.

* * *

Revan blinked few times. First, he felt a huge headache. He tried to move his head a little. It was a mistake. It has exploded in an enormous pain that caused him to shut his eyes back immediately.

Suddenly he felt himself being pulled upwards and placed against the wall. He tried to reopen his eyes. Everything around him was hazed over. He only saw human shapes in front of him and a characteristic Republic orange color.

Revan felt a glass being pressed against his lips. He opened his mouth and willingly drank the water. It brought to him some sort of relief and his eyes weren't so hazy anymore. He tried to find focus again. This time he could make out some details.

First, he saw his most trusted men. In front of them was Rex. It was he, who gave him the glass of water. Behind him where standing Fox and Wolfie. Then he noticed someone else in the room they were in.

It was the same man who helped them to get out of the Endar Spire. Carth. He was sitting on the chair and eyed him carefully. Revan could see suspicious in the man's eyes. And he knew, he had to make it go away.

Apparently, he wasn't such an idiot as most of the Republic soldiers. The former Dark Lord could see the unasked question on the man's face. Carefully he entered his mind. He couldn't risk too much. Otherwise, every Force-sensitive being in this system would feel him.

But he could lower his restraints from him and slip into someone's mind. It wouldn't make him sensible for anyone.

He saw it in Carth's thoughts. Tons of suspicions caused with what he saw through the Endar Spire's cameras and with _Alen's_ database. The one question was probing in his mind. _Who are you?,_ he seemed to ask. Revan used as little Force as possible to sooth the other man. And it worked. He saw Carth noticeably relax. The Republic officer stood up and came up to him.

"Good to see you again, instead of thrashing around in your sleep" he welcomed him. Revan returned it with a nod. "You must be having a lot of a nightmare. I was wondering if you were ever going to wake up. I'm Carth, one of the Republic soldiers from the Endar Spire" he introduced himself and pulled out his hand. The former Dark Lord took it and shook their hands. "I was with you in the escape pod, do you remember?" he asked. Revan nodded.

"Yes, I remember. I'm Alen, by the way" he introduced himself. "Alen Royce" he finished. He had to use his false identity, that was sure. Even if they outnumbered him four to one, it wasn't wise to reveal themselves. So for the time being, he was Alen.

"I guess we haven't told you our names," Rex said. He relaxed when he saw his leader shaking hands with Carth. "My name is Rex. This one next to me is Fox. And the one without an eye is Wolfie" he introduced himself and his companions. Carth shook hands with all of them. The tension in room lessened visibly.

"What has happened, by the way?" Revan asked. It was good to start some friendly conversation with that man. If he wished to escape this planet, he would have to use every help, he could get. And right now they weren't in that much hurry. Of course, they needed to find the way out of Taris but first, they had to make some recognition.

"You've hit your head and fell unconscious" Carth cared to explain. "Our escape pod have crashed against the Taris' Upper City. We had to get out from it quickly, cause the Sith patrol was nearby. We have managed to find the abandoned apartment in one of the skyscrapers. And the rest you know" he finished. Revan nodded. It gave him some basic information he needed.

First of all, the Sith have taken the planet. It forced them to somehow change their appearance. The Republic armor was too recognizable. And if the Sith controlled the surface, they had also a blockade on the orbit. It made their escape more difficult. But not impossible.

"How long have I been out?" he asked. It was also important. The shorter he was unconscious, the better.

"For almost a day" Rex responded. Revan wiped his face. A day. It was much longer than he would want. This gave the Sith more time to find them and reinforce their position on the orbit.

"I've made some recognition already when you were unconscious," Carth informed him. That intrigued Revan.

"You did it in THAT?" he asked, referring to his jacket. It had a Republic emblem on and the orange color. If he did it, Revan wouldn't be surprised if the Sith battalion suddenly entered the room they were in.

"Of course not! I'm not an idiot" Carth responded. "But I don't have any spare clothes."

Revan nodded. At least this man wasn't some over proud Republic ignorant, who assumed that he would able to take down the whole Sith Empire himself. This boosted Revan's opinion about Carth.

"We have to find some way to change our clothes. We are too easily recognizable."

"I have found a store, not far from here. We can resupply ourselves. But I don't have many Credits left" Carth responded. Revan again just nodded. He had millions of Credits in his bank accounts, but he couldn't use them. They were being tracked for sure. He checked his pockets.

"I have few Credits," Rex said, pulling out five chips. Fox and Wolfie also searched for any spared money. After around a minute, they had a small stack of Credit chips. They have counted it. Around one hundred Credits. Certainly not enough.

Revan again wiped his face. He had to come up with a plan and he had to do it fast.

First of all, they had to find Bastila. If they didn't, the Sith would do. And then, they would be screwed.

Next, they had to come up with some sort of escape from the planet. It was impossible to steal any Sith fighter, that for sure.

An idea started to form itself in Revan's mind. The sun was setting down, so the cantinas would be full right now. He came up to the table the Credits were laying on and took them.

"What are you doing?" Carth asked surprised. It wasn't suspicious tone though, just intrigued.

"I'm going to make some money and hopefully find some supplies. It will be better if the rest of you stay here. Alone, I won't be drawing much attention" Revan replied, undoing his armor. Now he wouldn't be that recognizable, but still, the pants betrayed him. He had to come up with a way of changing that orange bright color. Then another idea came into his mind.

"Carth?" he asked. The man looked at him with a questioning expression. "Do you mind changing trousers for a while?" Officer's eyes widened in shock.

"What?!" the man responded with disbelief in his voice. Alen couldn't be serious, could he?

"Mine are too recognizable" Revan reasoned. "And yours are of the black color. I won't be standing out so much in them" he continued. Carth could see a point in the younger man's way of thinking. But still he didn't like an idea of clothes' changing, but, unwillingly, he complied.

"I'll go to the refresher then."

Revan nodded and started unbuttoning his trousers. He didn't want to do that as well, but it was a necessity. He almost pulled down his cloth but stopped in his tracks. He turned to other three men sitting in the room. They watched him with amusement, barely restraining laughter.

"Are you going to turn around?" he asked them. They chuckled a little but complied. Revan took off his trousers and walked up to the refresher's doors. He knocked lightly. After few seconds they have been opened and a pair of black breeches flew out from the room. Revan caught it with ease and tossed inside his own pants.

He quickly put on Carth's trousers on and buttoned them. They were soft and comfortable. The black color was able to make him look like a regular citizen. With the stack of Credits, Revan left the apartment they were in.

Of course, it was dangerous to go alone, but it was the only possibility they had. They didn't have more clothes to change so their outfits would make them stand out from regular Tarisians. And while being alone, Revan could blend into the crowd much easier.

It would also give him the possibility of coming up with some sort of plan. He needed the fresh air to clear his mind. Revan walked out of the building and looked around.

The sun was setting already. It wasn't late yet. He had around an hour before the cantinas would start to teem with life. If this what he heard about Taris, during Mandalorian wars, was true, he Revan wouldn't have any problems in making some money. Hazard was something common in here. And for someone, who could influence others' minds, it would be all too easy to get some Credits.

He didn't have to search long. The first cantina was right in front of the exit of their apartment. He walked there, passing citizens and Sith patrols on his way. Just as he expected, they haven't paid him any attention. Revan smirked. After all, it was good to wear a mask during his reign as the Dark Lord. Now almost no one, except for Rex, Fox, Wolfie, Malak, Meetra, Atton and the Admirals knew his face.

As he stepped into through the doors, he was immediately flooded with dozens of different smells. The one, that was the most sensible, was an odor of alcohol. It stung his nostrils and caused him to bring a hand to his face. Revan had to use his all strength to keep himself from vomiting. Fortunately, he hadn't been eating anything for some time already. Slowly, he retracted his hand. The former Dark Lord was able to survive many things and certainly, he wouldn't allow some scent to bit him.

He gathered his mental strength and walked further in. He came up to the counter and ordered himself a drink. It would look suspicious if he didn't drink anything. And one small quencher wouldn't harm him.

He drank in a one swift movement everything when the barman gave him his order. He put the glass back down and looked around the room he was in.

In the middle was a small holographic orchestra with female twi'lek dancers around the holoprojector. They were dressed in scanty outfits, that barely covered the front of their breasts and their hips. Between their legs, they wore only a thin piece of material, that kept their crotches hidden from the lustful looks of men gathered in the cantina. Revan averted his eyes from the dancers. Bastila certainly wouldn't approve him checking out some girls.

With that in mind, he looked around the tables. On most of them were standing empty glasses after alcohol and the men, who were sitting at them, were playing Pazaak. A popular hazard game, that could help Revan to gain some money. He smirked under his nose. A Pazaak tackle wasn't expensive and was able to buy in any place actually. It was being even sold in cantinas by players. After few minutes, Revan had a complete deck of cards in his hand. He lost for it fifty Credits, but he was sure, that he would be able to make up for this expense during this night. He approached one of the tables and started to ask if anyone wanted to play with him.

* * *

Three hours have passed before Revan left the cantina. He managed to earn over five hundred Credits by simple Pazaak contests with Taris' citizens. It wasn't difficult. They were mostly already under influence of the alcohol so their thinking processes were disturbed. And with Revan's possibility to enter one's mind, it was impossible for him to lose. He played with practically everyone, who was in the cantina. And except Credits, he got also some information.

First of all, the Sith blockade on the orbit made it impossible for any ship to leave the planet. If he wanted to do it, he would need launching codes. And he could get them only in the Sith's base, that was located here in the Upper City of Taris.

And the second useful information was a mean of transport. No one was in possession of any sort of ship. Only the Exchange had some ships, but it was almost impossible to get them. Only those worked for Davik, could enter Exchange's quarters.

Even if the information was bad, it was better than nothing. At least Revan knew what was their position. And, as always, he would find a way out.

Now he was walking from the cantina towards his apartment and stopped in his tracks when he was passing through a connector, placed in one of the Upper City's skyscrapers. There was a store, that Carth mentioned earlier. Revan entered the shop and was greeted with a sight of a dark-skinned woman, standing behind the encounter. He walked up to her.

"Hello there," the woman spoke. "I haven't seen you in my shop before… allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kebla Yurt. Welcome to the Equipment Emporium" she finished. She had a soft voice that was too gentle in Revan's opinion. But, after all, she was a seller – she had to be polite if she wanted to have clients.

"You looking to buy some supplies?" Kebla continued. "My shop's the largest one in all of the Upper Taris. Best selection on the planet. Whatever you need, I've got. Well, mostly" she added with a quiet sigh, that didn't escape Revan's hearing.

"Mostly? What do you mean by that?" he asked intrigued.

"The Sith confiscated all my heavy weapons" she started to explain. "And they impounded all my ships and swoop bikes. But I've still got a really nice selection if you're interested."

"Well, I'm looking for some regular clothes for a group of men" Revan started to say. "Around my posture and height. It doesn't have to be anything from the top shelf. Just something that will make us look more like locals."

"And why is that? Are you trying to hide from something?" Kebla asked with a small laughter. Revan smirked as well.

"No, but we're going to spend some time here walking all the time in one set of clothes isn't good, certainly" he responded.

"Okay, I was just kidding. So, some regular clothes, you say? Fortunately, the Sith didn't take that from me. I would just have to go to the warehouse. Give me a minute" she said and disappeared. After a moment she came back, caring a pile of different clothes.

"Well, this is something that should please you," Kebla said, placing the clothes on the table before Revan. He was scanning them for a while and was pleased with the results. He found few white and few black shirts, some brown trousers and grey outerwear. He only hoped, he had enough money.

"How much for that?" he asked, mentioning to the pile of clothes he created. Kebla was considering for a minute and responded.

"Seven hundred Credits" was her answer. Revan cursed mentally. He looked around and returned his gaze to the seller, standing in front of him.

"You will sell it to me for four hundred Credits," he said, waving his hand, before her face.

"I will sell it to you for four hundred Credits" she answered repetitiously. Revan smiled lightly.

"Very well, here is the money," he said, handing her few chips. Then he picked up the pile of clothes and left the shop.

He returned to the apartment, where his companions were waiting for him. He got there after few minutes of walk. When he entered the room, he cast the pile of clothes on the floor.

"How was your quest?" Rex greeted him, eyeing what Revan brought.

"Just as you can see" was his response. "What are you waiting for? Dress up!" he ordered. As his companions were digging through the pile of clothes, he started to explain.

"I have managed to make some Credits in the local cantina. As well as some information. Apparently, we will be needing the Sith launching codes to escape the planet and a ship as well. And here comes the biggest problem. No one of the citizens is in the possession of ship. Only the Exchange has some, but you have to work for them, to be able to use it."

"And we need to find Bastila" Carth added, as he was putting on his own trousers, and redressed his top. Revan nodded for that.

"Yea, that's true. We'll start to make some more detailed searching tomorrow. It would be pointless to wander now, in the middle of the night, on the streets. We would be drawing a lot of attention. Citizens right now are or in the cantina, or in apartments. Only the Sith patrols are out." Revan continued. He finished already dressing up. Now he was wearing the same black shoes as earlier, a pair of brown trousers, a white shirt, he put on the black vest, and a grey jacket. Now he looked more like a smuggler, than a citizen. But Taris was filled with people like this.

He came up to the small sack he took from the Endar Spire. He had in there a datapad, and two lightsabers he took from the Endar Spire. He cautiously hid them back and placed them under his bed. He decided to repair them that night. He could use some parts from his blaster rifle. He wouldn't be able to use them here on Taris, of course. But they could be of a good use later.

With that in mind, he laid himself on the bed and waited for others, one by one, drifted off to sleep. When they did, he started to work.

His bed was near the workbench, so, hopefully, he wouldn't wake up anyone. He took the chair and placed it in front of the small table. There were some tools he needed so he began his work immediately.

First, he put his blaster into pieces. He took the parts he would be needing and placed them on the side. The rest he threw away.

Then he took the lightsabers' handles. He had to add some extra weight to make them more balanced. He had to rebuild them a little. They were in a very bad condition. He sighed heavily. He had a long night before him.

* * *

 **Well here is another chapter. Huh, I thought I will never be able to finish it. From all the chapters I have written, this isn't one I'm content with. Write down what you think about it (for me it is my least favorite for now hahaha). And as always, add this story to your 'favorites' and follow me. See you next time!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Well, well, well now writing became much more difficult. I have to compare my story with the game and that slows down the writing process drastically. I'm trying to use the original dialogues from the game and that's not easy hahaha. But don't worry, even if the updates won't show up so often, I'm not going to cancel this story (and if some of you wanted me to stop this story than I'm sorry to disappoint you hahaha). But right now let's just go to another chapter.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 10

Revan wiped his face and blinked few times. He was completely exhausted. He spent all night on remaking the lightsabers. And in the middle of his work, he was forced to help Carth to fall asleep again. The former Dark Lord could handle him easily, but somehow he couldn't do it. Something inside of him was stopping Revan from committing a murder on that man. That made him wonder. Has he already lost so much of his former self? During his reign as the Dark Lord, he could kill anyone in a blink of an eye. Maybe not Bastila. But a soldier? Revan even cut out his former best friend's jaw for disobeying his orders.

He shook his head. He was growing weak. Two months spent in the presence of the Republic made him less aggressive. Sometimes it could be useful, but he wasn't so sure if it was good in that moment. Revan put down his handwork and allowed his thoughts to travel at their own pace.

He came back to something that intrigued him on the Endar Spire. This warning in the Force that clearly spoke of a betrayal. And the fact that they were pulled out from the hyperspace. Someone had to deliver the information about them to the Sith.

And here his thoughts drifted to Trask. He was annoying because of his talkative attitude. But that wasn't the thing that intrigued Revan in that moment. He was mostly focused on this scream in the Force that surrounded his former bunkmate. And the fact that he was so eager to stand against the Dark Jedi alone. Even if he and his companions were able to help him. They could simply kill this Dark Jedi, no matter who he was. And yet, he decided to face him alone. And when he disappeared, the warning in the Force lessened drastically.

Revan was almost sure of Trask's betrayal. But he couldn't judge him right now. He didn't know his thoughts and in this moment, the man was dead or with the Sith. These were the only possibilities. And he knew that with the time, he will find out the truth.

His second thought was Bastila. Right now he couldn't use their Bond, that for sure. It would make her feel, that he regained his access to the Force and what was coming with that, his memories. Revan didn't want Bastila to know about this. He would tell her the truth of course. But not right now. First, he had to make sure, that she is on his side.

Revan began to wonder if she is all right. He thought of her possible current state.

The first option is that she was captured by the Sith. But then, what point would they have to send so many patrols to the planet's surface?

The second possibility was her being captured by any of the local gangs. Revan has heard a lot about Taris' criminal underworld. That was the main reason for Sith soldiers not to go down to the Under City.

Revan sighed heavily. He had managed to finish the repairs and now the lightsabers looked much better.

First of all, they were properly balanced. They were fitting nicely in his hands and resembled more his former weapons. He even managed to give them the proper look.

They were now a little longer and had more complicated details. That was a masterpiece. He even managed to place on the handles the ancient runes he found on Korriban. That was supposed to increase both his fighting abilities and possibilities of his weapons. At least that's what Naga Sadow had told in his Holocron.

Revan eyed the lightsabers and, after a moment, he turned them on.

One of them was bright blue and the second, fiercely red. He smirked under his nose. It would represent better his thinking about the Force and Its Sides. He smirked again. Both Jedi and the Sith were so narrow-minded. For them existed only Dark and Light Side of the Force. For the Order, it was a way to find peace. And for those who Council called 'the fallen Jedi', it was a way to find power. But for Revan, it was something more.

Through his time as a Jedi and later as a Dark Lord, it was a way to find power in peace. He tasted both Sides of the Force. And he rejected and accepted both. He understood, that using just one Side would cloud his mind and judgment. It would also lessen his potential. After all, what have the Jedi taught? To find balance. And balance could have only been achieved by remaining somewhere between the Light and the Dark Side. And that's something that the Jedi Council will never understand.

Revan stood up from his place at the workbench. He had around an hour till the sunrise. Sleep wouldn't help him now. But a meditation would be perfect. He came up to his bed and sat on it, crossing his legs. He closed his eyes and felt peace filling his body.

It was the sort of relief he didn't feel for a long time. He rarely had the possibility to meditate while he was holding the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith. And during the Mandalorian Wars, he was all the time on the front lines. Or in a Kolto tank. He realized that the last time he could become, at least partially, one with the Force, was a few years ago on Dantooine when he was still a Padawan.

He took a deep breath and allowed the Force to take him. He has forgotten how such thing made thinking easier. He started to meditate over his possibilities. What would he do, after he escaped Taris? If he escaped Taris, of course. Where would he go?

Korriban wasn't an option. It was under the control of Malak's Empire. Same as the Rakata Prime.

Then came the idea of Kashyyk. It was a forest world that was under the control of Czerka and the Exchange. The Republic and the Sith Empire had no influence there. It was a good option.

He didn't consider Tatooine. He hated that forgotten by Force planet. Every minute he spent there, he was cursing the Force for creating such an inhabitable world.

Manaan wasn't a good option either. There, both the Republic and the Sith had influences. He couldn't risk that much.

Nar Shadda was some sort of possibility. The smugglers' moon was a good place to reinforce himself. He could easily gain access to his bank accounts from there. And with Credits, came influence. And with influence, came information. And with information, came power. The power he needed to fulfill his plan.

Coruscant wasn't an option to be considered as well. He wanted to avoid the Jedi Council as much as he could. But on the other hand, he wished to speak to few Masters. After all, not all of the Council members were arrogant and ignorant fools.

Master Nomi Sunrider and Master Vandar Tokare were the only ones, who Revan respected. Maybe also Zhar Lestin, but he wasn't a part of the Jedi High Council. They had a great wisdom and were able to actually _listen_ to others, while the rest of the Masters was short-sighted. Every question, if it wasn't connected with the subject of Jedi teachings, they treated as arrogance and pride.

While Master Tokare and Master Sunrider were always ready to answer the questions. Even those difficult ones about the Dark Side. These two were the source of Revan's great knowledge as the Padawan. And now he needed their help.

The True Sith have returned and reinforced themselves. They were waiting in the Unknown Regions. That's something Revan has found out during the Mandalorian wars. It was the threat, the Jedi Council warned about. And when he contacted them, they have declared him a traitor and a Sith Lord.

But Master Vandar and Nomi didn't approve the Council's decision. And now he would really appreciate their advice.

He had to act. The Jedi Order wasn't able to stand against the True Sith. The Republic as well was unprepared. It was Revan's duty to fight back this threat. And he knew it.

But he couldn't do it alone. And that was the reason for him to find a Star Forge. He still needed allies though.

He knew that Rex, Fox, and Wolfie will follow him anywhere. But still, he needed some of the Jedi help. Not physical one but the one of guidance, a good word for him to know what to do. And that's why he needed to contact Vandar Tokare and Nomi Sunrider.

And that caused him to pick the Dantooine as his first target after Taris. Vandar should be there. The Enclave was the only place, where the Master would be, beside Coruscant of course. But Vrook would be there as well.

Revan smirked mentally. Now he was _Alen._ It gave him a possibility to approach Vrook and annoy him. Just as he always did during his time as the Padawan. Revenge wasn't something, he was looking for. He was better than that. And he needed Vandar's knowledge.

Kreia, his first master, would give him answers, as well. She always did, after all. But she was far from here, on Malachor V in Trayus Academy.

He has decided. He would find a way to contact the two Jedi Masters, no matter what.

He breathed slowly, abandoning the thoughts about his possible future. This time he turned them to something more pleasurable.

He lowered a little his mental barriers and tried to find Bastila through their Force Bond. It was risky, he knew that. But he was surprised when he felt a wall on the other side. Something was interrupting the connection. He quickly realized what it was. It was the same thing that used to cause him to lose the possibility to focus. She was wearing the neural disruptor.

But nevertheless, he sensed her. She wasn't that far away. And he didn't feel a presence of the Dark Side around her. That meant that she wasn't caught by the Sith. Revan felt a sort of relief. It was much easier to take Bastila back from the hands of criminalists, than from the Empire.

He began to feel uneasy. How would Bastila react, when she saw him? Would she even recognize him? Or have the Council reprogrammed her mind as well, so she doesn't remember her past connected with him? And if she remembered? What would she do? Would she be happy to see him again?

He used his all mental strengths to put these thoughts aside. Revan now tried to focus on the Force itself. In the state of meditation, he was able to understand It's ways better. His thoughts took him to his connection to the Force.

During the Mandalorian Wars, he discovered that the Force wasn't divided into the Dark and the Light Side. There was something more. Both Sides have been connected to one another. And only after realizing it, the one could truly master the Force and Its ways. And the truth wasn't just black and white, as the Jedi thought.

The true balance was able to be achieved only by accepting the both Sides that wielded war inside of everyone. If anyone allies himself with only one Side, he would lose this combat. And would never be able to achieve peace, as well as the power that came with it. And that's why the Jedi Council was blind. Blind to the threat in the Unknown Regions. Even if they have foreseen it, they still ignored that. They refused to understand that the balance in the Force was not achieved by destroying the Sith, but by accepting the Sith inside of you. And connecting the both Sides that remained in everyone into one.

And here came the biggest problem and mistake of both the Jedi Order and the Sith. Both these fractions leaned into just one Side and saw another one as a weakness. And they didn't understand that light cannot exist without the dark to oppose it. And the dark, cannot exist without the light to chase it away. Revan, through his time as the Jedi Padawan and the Dark Lord, found out this truth. In the beginning, it was difficult for him to accept it, but when he did, for the first time in his life, he found the peace. And with the peace, he gained the power. The power that allowed him to control the Star Forge without losing himself to the Dark Side, while still remaining connected to it.

He breathed deeply again. He almost could touch the Sides of the Force in him. He also felt the war waging in him. Each Side wanted to get the advantage over the other one. And it was his order to not allow that to happen. For many it was difficult. But not for him.

He was able to keep his Jedi and Sith identity in place. He was using both Sides and that allowed him to maintain control over them.

There were times when he hated the Force. He hated it to the point, where he was even thinking of destroying it. Revan started to collect the information about what to do to perform such an act. He gathered it in his Holocron, that remained hidden in the secret place on Malachor V in the Trayus Academy. He made sure to leave it under Darth Traya's attention. Even if he wanted to do it, he knew that it wasn't his destiny. His destiny was to stop the True Sith in the Unknown Regions. And to make Jedi see the truth. But destroying the Force? It was something he wasn't capable of. He had to leave it for others.

There weren't many reasons why he hated the Force so much. But they were good enough to convince him.

First of all, was the never-ending conflict between the Dark and the Light Side. The conflict that cost thousands of lives. In the name of what? Balance? Power? Peace? These were the values that remained beyond the Jedi and the Sith reach.

And second was the Force's influence on everything. The Jedi claimed that feelings were something leading to the Dark Side. While feelings were this what defined the difference between the animals and the 'intelligent species', besides the ability to think, of course. And the Jedi Code forced them to abandon these feelings as if they didn't exist. It almost made them droids.

And Sith acted on emotions and feelings, often without thinking. Their lust for power, made them act almost on instincts, bringing them closer to animals. They were slowly losing this, what defined them as the 'intelligent species'. And all of this in the name of what?

There was one more reason but it was something personal for Revan. Thanks to the Jedi Code, he couldn't be with the woman he loved. He even was forbidden to know what is love. He often was wondering, how his life would look like without the Force. If the Jedi Order and the Sith never existed. Would he be able to find happiness with the one he loved? Would he even know Bastila?

This question always led him to one conclusion. If there was no Force and the Jedi Order, he would be able to make a family, to have a wife. But it wasn't sure if he would know Bastila. And that was the reason why he didn't know fully if his life would be better without the Force.

Revan also found himself thinking about the Jedi Code. Before the Exar Kun, the Jedi were allowed to have a wife or husband. Then it was nothing wrong. The Code itself even sounded differently. _Emotions, yet peace._ The first version of the Code wasn't commonly known amongst the Padawans. It was something, that his first master, Kreia, has taught him. And he found the original Code more reasonable. But the Council did not. At least most of the Master didn't.

Again, he was thinking about what he had to do next. And the answer was pretty simple. He had to find Bastila.

* * *

Revan has left his state of meditation. The sun was beginning to rise and his companions were still fast asleep.

"Come on, come on, wake up!" Revan was shouting, pacing across the room. Every one of the four men looked at him with tired and annoyed expression.

"Any reason to wake us up so early?" Fox asked with a yawn and wiped his face.

"Actually yes. We have a lot to do and the time isn't working in our favor. The faster we begin to make our way from here, the better. If the Sith find Bastila before we do, they will most probably blow Taris into space. She is the only reason we are still alive. Then I suggest you wake up. We have to make sure to find her before the Sith patrols do" Revan explained. His companions slowly began to lift themselves up. They didn't like the idea of waking up so early, but they knew the importance of this mission. Finding Bastila was their biggest priority.

It wasn't long before they were ready to go. They've managed to wake up before the sun fully rose. They have left the apartment and began to make their way through the main hall of the skyscraper.

 _I'm coming for you, Bastila,_ Revan sent through their Bond, knowing she couldn't hear it. But he wanted to comfort her as much as he could. Even if that would mean killing everyone in his sight.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was a little boring due to the lack of action. I didn't plan to make Revan's meditation so long, but it just happened. And if you liked it then leave a comment, add the story to your 'favorites' and follow it to be informed about the updates. Remember! Information is power! Also in the next chapter, we will get into KotOR's plot much more! So… see you soon guys!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Well, here is another one. As always, if you like my story then make sure to leave a comment, click 'favorite' and follow. And I want to say thanks to all who support my work and again these are two guys: Aggiefan15 and JourneyRocks13. Their reviews help me as an author and they comment very often. But also I say thanks to all others who comment my story and these are: davycrockett100, Serdancos, Maul, and god of all. I really appreciate it and it's nice to read these comments when I wake up hahaha. But at the same time, I ask all the rest of you guys, who are reading my story to write a review ;). And now I invite you to read another chapter.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 11

"Okay you alien scum, everybody get up against the wall! This is a raid!" the order welcomed Revan, Carth, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie after they have left their apartment. Right now they were standing in the main hall of the skyscraper. Though this command wasn't directed at them.

They were facing a small group of Sith patrol, consisting of two silver battle droids and someone, who looked like a commander. He was dressed from neck to toe in a blue-gray uniform and black, knee-high shoes. He had a black belt around his waist with two pouches of the same color. He had a similar, but thinner, belt around his torso. It was more a suspender meant for backup cartridges. The man was holding a heavy blaster rifle in his right hand.

In front of the Sith patrol, were standing two Duros. From their stance, Revan could easily make out one thing. They were scared.

"There was a patrol here just yesterday, and they found nothing!" one of the Duros spoke. "Why do you Sith keep bothering us?" he asked. But the black skinned commander didn't like that.

Without any hesitation, he shot the Duro few times into his chest. The alien fell to the floor. Dead.

"That's how we Sith deal with smart-mouth aliens!" he lectured the person he just shot. "Now you get up against the wall before I lose my temper again!" he ordered to the second Duro. At this, Revan cleared his throat loud enough for the Sith commander to hear. He and the battle droids turned to the direction where the noise came from. His eyes widened in shock and something resembling fear at what he saw.

Before him, five heavily armed men were standing. He scanned them and, basing on their posture, realized that they were soldiers for sure. He quickly shook himself from a temporary shock.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he started in an arrogant tone. "Humans hiding out with aliens? They're Republic fugitives! Attack!" he shouted an order. Revan quickly understood his intention.

Shouting such a thing out loud would make it more possible for the Sith reinforcements to hear it and arrive. It was a tactical advance and Revan was impressed at that.

But he had to put these thoughts aside because he found himself staring at the barrel of the blaster rifle. In the last second, he dashed to the side and avoided the shot, that has passed the place, where his head had previously been. He quickly regained his footing and replied by drawing a vibroblade that was sheathed and hanging next to his hip. He ran up to the Sith commander and, before he could even react, sliced him in half. Revan watched as the man's upper half slid down to the floor, blood covering the spot, the dead body was laying on. The former Dark Lord was surprised, at seeing this. He didn't suspect that vibroblades had such strength to cut someone so easily.

He saw with the corner of his eye that his companions have quickly dealt with the droids. One precise shot in their heads was enough to shut them down. Their torsos exploded with a flash, sending dozens of metallic parts in every direction. Revan covered his head in order not to be hit by one of the droids' elements.

The whole action didn't last longer than five seconds. The five men straightened themselves up and looked around.

Now the main hall was a mess. Walls were partially burned, due to the explosions – black marks covered them. Same with the floor, but on it was also a blood. Partially from the sliced Sith commander and partially from the shot Duro.

They lifted their eyes from the mess and placed them on the second alien. He was holding tightly his right side of the rib cage, a small trail of blood was visible on his fingers.

"Poor Ixgil. He should never have talked back to that Sith" the Duro muttered, looking down at his dead companion. Then he looked at the strangers, who saved his life. "Thankfully you were here to step in and help us, humans" he added with a small smile. "This isn't the first time the Sith have come in here to cause trouble for us, but hopefully it will be the last."

"Won't someone come searching for this patrol?" Carth asked intrigued, stepping in front of their group and coming up to the alien.

"Don't worry about the bodies" the Duro spoke in a calming tone. "I will move them so it looks like they were killed elsewhere. That should throw Sith off the track. With any luck, they won't be bothering us again for a while" he reasoned. Revan nodded in response. It wasn't probable for the Sith to realize, that a one man and two droids were missing. It was something he had learned when he was in charge of the Empire. No one cared about the major soldiers.

"We're happy we could help you" Carth responded. "If there's anything we can do more, then…" he started but was cut off by Revan.

"Unfortunately, we don't have much time" he spoke, faking an apologetic tone. "We're in hurry."

"Yes, of course," the Duro responded. "Is there anything I can do for you, as a compensation?" he asked, staring at them with red eyes. Revan thought for a moment. There was actually something they needed as much help as they could gather.

"Well, there is one thing" he started, trying to make out how to touch this subject.

"And what is it?" the Duro asked intrigued.

"Do you know anything about the escape pods that crushed against Taris?" Revan asked. "Two days ago plenty of them hit the planet's surface."

"Hmm… I doubt I know anything useful" Duro answered after the moment. "The only thing I know is that one of these pods crushed somewhere here in the Upper City" he added.

"Only one?" Revan asked.

"Yes, only one. I'm sorry I cannot help you more, but…" Duro started to apologize but he also was cut off by the former Dark Lord.

"Nothing happens. Actually, this information is pretty useful for us. Thank you" he said, bowing slightly his head. The alien returned the gesture. After that, the group of five men walked down the main hall towards the exit of the skyscraper.

"And how is that any useful information?" Wolfie asked. The rest of them gave their approval to the question by nodding their heads.

"He said that only one escape pod has crushed here in the Upper City" Revan started. He couldn't believe that he really had to explain that. "And that was our escape pod. So that means, that we have nothing to look for here. We have to go to the Lower City or even to the Undercity. And this actually gives us more time to find Bastila. She isn't in the Upper City. That's all we know. But it's better, than nothing" he reasoned, looking at his companions. One by one, they nodded in understanding.

With that cleared, they've left the skyscraper and found themselves in the Taris' Upper City. Despite the poverty of this planet, it was a nice looking thing. At some point, it resembled Coruscant. Many buildings were climbing up to the sky and speeder bikes were flying over their heads. The sun was barely making its way through the facilities, causing the streets to remain still in shadows.

The buildings were built in a circular fashion. They weren't rectangular or sharp. They had rounded tops and looked very thin. A blue light was coming from windows of thousands of apartments. Near the top of every skyscraper was a small landing pad. It allowed speeder bikes or even small ships, such as fighters, to land on it.

In front of them was standing some odd kind of statue. A rounded platform, over which was floating a stone structure. It was a small fountain, that contained water in it. But no water was coming inside.

On the right side of the fountain was an edge of the street. Beyond that, it was possible to see the Undercity of Taris. Also, an escape pod was hovering right over the abyss. Revan just now realized how close they were to fall to the surface of the planet. He noticed the small droids pacing around the escape pod, as well as few Sith soldiers. But he paid them no attention. There was no possibility for them to be found.

On the left side of the fountain, a street was leading towards the crossroads and from there to other skyscrapers. The Sith patrols were pacing back and forth on the street. There was even more of the soldiers than the citizens.

Revan was thinking about where to go now. There was no point in going forward. He was there yesterday, there were only a store and the cantina. Perhaps going left, on the east, was a good idea.

He turned himself in that direction and started to go that way, his companions following closely behind. Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were talking about something to themselves and Carth was going forward, looking onto his feet and keeping his hands in the pockets. Revan immediately sensed something coming from the Republic officer. He came closer to the man and tapped him on the shoulder. That pulled out Carth from the trance, he didn't realize he was in.

"Yes? What's on your mind?" he asked, looking at Revan. It was obvious in his tone that he was in no mood for talking, but he paid it no mind and decided to speak to the man.

"Is this a good time to ask you some more questions? You know, since we are sentenced for each other's companionship, then I think it would be good to know a little more about the one we have to work with" he said, inviting him for conversation. Unwillingly, Carth complied.

"Well, I see your point. So, if it's an interrogation you wanted, why didn't you say so?" he asked. Revan was surprised by that.

"This isn't an interrogation" he responded, slightly offended."I never said that."

"No, I was just joking, though you do seem to have a lot of questions," Carth told back with a noise that could resemble chuckling. Though it more sounded like a suffocating sound. "It's rather refreshing, to be honest" he added. Revan nodded in response. "Let me ask you something first, though" the Republic officer outran the former Dark Lord. "I've been going through the battle aboard the Endar Spire over and over in my head since we crashed. Some things just don't add up for me. Maybe you could tell me what happened… from your perspective" he finished. Revan was surprised. He didn't see that coming.

"Why ask me? I don't see the point" he replied, trying to avoid answering on Carth's question. The officer looked at him, not noticing slightly aware tone in the younger's man voice.

"I'm just trying to figure it out" he responded. "I saw enough men lose their lives needlessly during the Mandalorian wars. It's… difficult to see that happening all over again."

That intrigued Revan. He didn't recall seeing Carth during the conflict with the Mandalorians. How much actually didn't he know about the Republic officer? He planned to repair that mistake.

"You fought in the Mandalorian wars?" he asked, hoping that the man will answer that. Luckily for him, he did.

"Yes, I did. But I wasn't anyone special in that time. I was a common pilot, serving under one of the best Admirals the Republic has ever seen" he responded with a clearly hearable sadness in his voice.

"And who was that?" Revan asked curiously.

"Admiral Saul Karath" was the response. The former Dark Lord fought an urge to cough violently. He didn't expect that. Instead, he said nothing. "I served under him during the majority of the Mandalorian wars" Carth continued. "He was my mentor. My best friend, actually. I took part in every battle under his command, except for the battle of Malachor V. And I guess that was a good decision, that I was sent from his flagship back to the Republic space. Thanks to it, I'm not part of the Sith Empire right now" he finished. Revan's mind was pacing back and forth. If he served under Saul, then he also served under Malak. And that was the reason why he didn't recall Carth as the soldier in the Mandalorian wars.

"You've said, that you were good friends. How did you meet him? Have you known each other before the war? Or maybe you just made up a friendship while in the military?" Revan asked.

"Well, I've known him before. We were born and lived on the same planet, you know" Carth responded.

"That is?" Revan pressed on.

"Telos IV" was the response. The former Dark Lord nearly stopped in his trucks. His face paled visibly and for a moment he had a problem with breathing. He cleared his throat to regain his voice.

Telos IV. Mentioning of that planet made Revan's stomach to twitch violently. It was mostly his fault. The destruction of the world in the Outer Rim. Of course, he didn't order the bombardment. It was Malak's order, but his oversight. He didn't want that. He found it pointless to annihilate the entire planets. But his former apprentice didn't. He liked destructing for the sake of destruction. And he's shown it on Telos IV.

After the destruction of the planet, Revan was infuriated. He punished Malak for disobeying his order. But what did it mean? Did it repay countless of deaths? Did it sooth the survivors of the genocide? Millions of people have lost their lives, while Malak lost only his lower jaw.

And now he understood Carth's slightly odd behavior.

If he was from Telos, it was a great trauma for the man, even if he didn't lose anyone in the bombardment. And if he did, Revan could only imagine the amount of pain, Carth was feeling. And also awareness, of who was responsible for that. It was known across the galaxy, that Saul Karath was the one, who led the ship that started the annihilation.

"Well, you know something about me, so it's time for me to know something about you," the Republic officer said, changing the topic a bit.

"Yeah, what's on your mind?" Revan encouraged him on, imitating Carth's previous tone.

"Well, returning to what I was saying earlier, we lost a ship and a lot of good people… and for what? On the hope that Jedi powers would save us, somehow. But it did not. Bastila explained it though, that she had no time to use her battle meditation" Carth said with a tone that sounded like suspicion. "We didn't choose that battle, anyway" he continued. "It was forced on us. Hell, I'm just surprised that any of us are alive to talk about it. Come to think of it, it's more than a little surprising that you happen to be here, isn't it?" he asked, directing that suspicious tone towards Revan. "Just what is your position with the Republic fleet, anyway?" he added before the younger man could respond anything. Revan was taken aback. He didn't see that coming.

"I'm just a major soldier. Why? Are you accusing me of something?" he responded.

"Not at all. I just think it's a bit odd that someone who got added to the crew roster at the last minute just happens to be one of the survivors. And a term 'major' does not suit you. I've seen your records in the database. Quite impressive, I must admit. You possess a lot of skills for that young age of yours. Skills, that many could only dream about"

"What's so odd about me being added to the crew at the last minute?" Revan responded, ignoring Carth's mention of his abilities. Thankfully, the man complied.

"You were the only one. Not to mention that Bastila's party was the one who requested your transfer" he answered. Revan, for the hundredth time that day, was stunned. He could easily make out a reason for that. But did she ask for that? Wasn't it the Jedi Council? And just how did Carth know that?

"What are you talking about?" he responded. "Why would Bastila even request my transfer? I don't get it" he finished, lying the Republic officer.

"Well, the Jedi requested numerous things when they came on board… hell, they practically took over the ship, as far as I could tell" Carth answered, turning it into a humorless joke. "Considering your connection to Bastila and the Jedi…" he continued with a serious tone. "Whether you know it or not… your presence here seems a little… convenient. I'm probably wrong" he added before Revan could respond. "And this is probably nothing, I know. I learned a long time ago not to take things at face value, however. And I hate surprises"

"What do you mean by surprises?" he asked intrigued. The personage of Carth Onasi surprised him all the time. And in a good way.

"I mean I have to expect the unexpected. Just to be safe" he answered. Revan's opinion about the man was now almost sky-high. If more men like Carth Onasi were in the Republic, then the war would be a whole lot easier for them.

"Are you always this suspicious?" he asked. He has meant to turn it into a joke, but his companion didn't notice that.

"Look… it has nothing to do with you, personally. I don't trust anyone and I have my reasons. And no, I'm not going to discuss them" Carth added again before Revan could say anything in response. "So can we just keep our mind on more important things?"

"I consider this important" Revan insisted.

"Alright, alright. You're pretty damn tenacious, you know that? We'll talk about it… but later. Right now I just want to get going" he answered, clearly allowing him to know, that the conversation was over.

Revan was now left to his own thoughts. And these thoughts were about Carth Onasi. This man intrigued him. He was a wise soldier, that was sure. He was a little paranoid, but that wasn't anything bad, in his opinion. It was certainly better than to be naïve.

He also could connect facts into some reasonable conclusions. That was rare amongst the soldiers, even those of a high rank. But Carth was different. Revan took a mental note to know that man a little better later on.

But he had to focus on his task at hand. Later he would find a possibility to get to know that man. Right now he had to find a way to recapture Bastila.

* * *

Bastila was laying in a prison cell. She didn't know what was happening around her. She couldn't focus her mind. And when she tried to open her eyes, she couldn't see anything. Her vision was hazy.

She felt that she was in trouble. Only a little amount of the Force was coming to her, but she could make out the warning it cared. And something else came to her as well.

A deafened sound. A message. A voice, that said one sentence. She knew, that this voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it with the person it belonged to.

 _I'm coming for you, Bastila,_ was the last thing she has heard before she passed out again. Somehow that short message comforted her.

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 _ **Okay so here is another chapter. I hope you liked and if you did, then let me know about it by commenting, adding this story to your 'favorites' and following. More chapters coming soon ;D see you next time guys!**_


	13. Chapter 12

**Well, well, well here is another one. I hope you enjoy reading my story and if you do then make sure to add it to your favorites, follow it and leave a comment. This way you support my work and help me as an author. I ask every one of you who are reading my story to write a review. If I got a review to each chapter from all my followers then I would have already 12*23=276, while I have only 28 reviews XD I want these reviews so badly cause then more people will consider my story as the one worth reading. And this will make me want to write this story and possible new stories much more. So after you read this chapter I encourage you to write a comment. It doesn't take much time, it's free and it helps me.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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Chapter 12

Revan and his companions walked through the connector to the Northern part of the Taris' Upper City. The connector was build in a skyscraper, though the building probably didn't serve as a living place. But still, it looked pretty nice.

The Northern part of the Upper City looked pretty much the same as the one they were previously in. The only noticeable difference was the sun. Now it was shining brightly on the entire street, forcing Revan and the rest of the group to cover their eyes.

In front of them was a similar fountain to the one, they've seen before. The same stone statue was floating over the rounded platform that contained water. It wasn't anything expensive and certainly looked good.

Beyond the fountain was an entrance to the living apartments. A high skyscraper was standing at the far end of the street. Every now and then some people were walking out of it, probably heading to work. They were passing the group of five men without paying them any attention at all. Also here, the Sith patrols were outnumbering the citizens.

On the right side of the fountain, again, was an edge, beyond which was an abyss. The closest street was a good half mile away. At the edge were standing two speeder bikes, probably meant for traveling across the streets. The Undercity was also visible if the one looked down.

On the left side of the fountain was a main street of the Northern Upper City. It, similarly, ended with a crossroad. Both ways leading to the small buildings. Judging by their height, they weren't the living ones, more those of a public usage.

Revan and his companions again turned left. There was no point in going forward, cause there were only the apartments. They all walked in silence. No one needed or wanted to talk. Carth again was walking with his hands in pockets, while staring at his shoes.

Rex, Fox, and Wolfie weren't talking to each other anymore. They simply walked in silence, every now and then looking around and watching the sights of Taris' Upper City.

Revan's mind was running on his own accord. They were running out of time, he knew that. He hoped that they would make some progress that day. But in order for that, they had to hurry. Since Bastila wasn't anywhere in here, they needed to find a way to the Lower City. But here came the problem.

Last night he managed to find out in the cantina, that not everyone was allowed to the Lower City, not even mentioning the Undercity. You'd have to get a writing permission from the Sith embassy, that was located not far from here. But no one could enter there, cause it was also connected with a Sith Military Base. So basically there was no legal way of going down from the Upper City. And now it was up to him to find a possibility of getting there.

He didn't notice, that he walked rightward on the crossroads. His companions were halted on the street by an old man, who was yelling some nonsense about the evil walking among the Taris' citizens and the enemy being here. Some fanatic, who thinks that he can actually change anything. It was a common thing on many planets. And now Revan was alone in the connector. He tried to walk on the other side of the wall but was halted by a Sith trooper, who stood there.

"This elevator is off limits" the soldier said, his voice distorted by the helmet he wore. "Only Sith patrols and those with proper authorization are allowed into the Lower City. It's obvious from the way you're dressed that you're not one of the Sith patrols, so unless you have the authorization papers you must move along!" he said, almost shouting the last sentence. It was clear that he didn't like his job. After all, no one would like it, Revan realized.

"And where could I get these papers?" he asked, just to annoy a little the soldier in front of him. He knew exactly where he could get them, but maybe this man was stupid enough to give him some hints on how to gain it, without killing anyone in the Sith Base.

"If you were supposed to have them, you'd know where to get them" was his response. He wasn't an idiot, as Revan assumed. "Now quit wasting my time and move along!" he repeated. Revan complied and wordlessly turned around to leave. Some sort of plan started to form in his mind.

 _It's obvious from the way you're dressed that you're not one of the Sith patrols,_ he was repeating the soldier's words over and over again in his head. This was already some sort of hint on how to get to the Lower City. But now came the problem. Where would he get the Sith armor from?

The small Sith patrol they have annihilated in the skyscraper wouldn't be a good idea. The bodies were long gone now, that was sure. Besides, they didn't have the uniforms.

He considered for a moment killing few Sith soldier here in the Upper City. That way he would be able to make his way down. But what of it? Malak would certainly sense that. And the destruction of the planet would be his next order. So, unwillingly, Revan abandoned thoughts of committing a massive murder. Perhaps there was a possibility to get these uniforms peacefully. Or without being sensed so easily.

He came back to his companions. They have managed to free themselves from the old paranoid man. They looked relieved when they saw Revan.

"Looks like you like to disappear" Carth stated, eyeing him carefully.

"Sorry, I was just simply lost in my thoughts and didn't notice that you were stopped, guys" he apologized. "But I've managed to get some information" he added. That caught their attention.

"And what is that?" Fox asked.

"I know, what we have to do to get to the Lower City" Revan started. "But I don't know yet, how we can do that."

"Why?"

"Cause we'll be needing the Sith uniforms to pass the guard. And here comes the problem. How to get this armor?" he asked a rhetorical question. Everyone was silent now. They were in deep thinking. That certainly was a problem. But Revan decided that they shouldn't be over thinking it right now.

"And how was your encounter with that old man?" he asked with a slight chuckle. Rest four of them only sighed heavily. They began to walk forward, back to the place they've come from. Wolfie was the one to answer.

"Don't mention him, please" he began."This man is some paranoid psycho. He kept talking about the Taris' plague that was the aliens. He kept talking about the necessity of clearing the planet from Twi'leks, Bothans, Duros and all other races. Just an old idiot. The Galaxy is full of the people like him" Wolfie finished. Revan chuckled at that. He was happy that he didn't have to listen to that old man.

They've found themselves now next to the fountain they passed previously. Revan was about to turn right and return to the Southern Upper City, but something caught his gaze.

He saw with the corner of his eye, as two Sith soldiers have entered the living building. He decided to follow them, giving a sign to his companions to do the same. They complied, following the young man.

They've entered the skyscraper and saw those Sith entering one of the apartments. One of the troopers was standing outside, facing the hall. He was standing on guard.

Revan, Rex, Fox, Wolfie, and Carth approached them carefully, hiding behind the wall, though it was a little difficult, due to the fact, that the hall was in a circular fashion. But they've managed to get close enough to hear the soldiers talking to someone.

"Where did you hide those Sith uniforms?" the question was asked. Revan couldn't believe what he has just heard. Did he say Sith uniforms? The man began to wonder how far his luck could go."Did you sell them to the Tarisian underground? Start talking – I want answers!" the soldier continued.

"Please – I'm only a visitor to Taris, trapped here by the quarantine" was the response of an Aqualish alien."I know nothing about the Taris underground or your missing uniforms!"

"I'm getting sick of your lies, you alien scum! We got your ugly mug on a security tape from the base! Start talking before I splatter your slimy brains all over this room!"

"I say we act now" Rex whispered. Revan nodded in response and gave a subtle signal to Carth. The man walked away from the wall a little and took an aim at the closest Sith trooper. He pulled a trigger and a millisecond after that, the soldier fell onto the floor. Dead. That caught an attention of the second Sith soldier, who was interrogating the alien. But before he could do anything, he was met with Carth's precise shot. The whole 'fight' didn't last longer than a few seconds. When the two Sith soldiers were dead, the group of five entered the apartment.

"Thank you, humans," the Aqualish alien said. "The Sith would have killed me… of that I am certain. I don't know who you are, but it is clear you are no friend of the Sith. Among my people, there is a saying: the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"What are you talking about?" Carth asked, as always intrigued in others' problems.

"I do have the Sith uniforms in fact" the alien answered. That caught Revan's attention.

"How did you get them?" this time it was the fallen Jedi Knight who asked the question.

"I've stolen them" was the simple answer.

"We need these uniforms" he spoke again, coming closer to the person who was interrogated by the Sith soldiers not a whole minute ago.

"I'm sorry, but I can't give them to you. The man I'm working for, needs them" was an answer and with that, the alien left, running towards the exit of the skyscraper. Rex tried to follow him but was halted by Revan.

"Why let him leave?" Rex asked. "If we want to get out from here, we will be needing these armors."

"As it happens, we do have the uniforms" he answered, staring down at the dead corpses. His companions followed his gaze and realized what he meant. There was a problem, though.

"But it won't be enough for all of us" Wolfie spoke.

"And all of us won't go to the Lower City" was Revan's answer. "Rex and I will go search for Bastila. Meanwhile" now he turned his gaze to his companions. "Carth, you, Fox and Wolfie will stay here. Try to find some way to infiltrate the Sith Base. If we want to get out of this planet, we will be needing the launching codes."

"Woah, woah, woah, wait for a second _Alen_ " Carth responded, raising his hand, as Revan started to disarm the dead corpses. It was the first time he used his fake name. "You want us to do WHAT?!"

"What you've heard _Onasi_ " Revan answered in the same tone, accenting the officer's last name. "It will only quicken our progress in getting out of here if we split up."

Carth could see the point in younger man's reasoning. But still, he didn't like the idea of having to enter the Sith Military Base.

"We will be in the communicator's range. If anything happens, contact us" Revan said after he took the Sith armor from the dead soldier. He was eager to act. Finally, some sort of plan started to form in his mind. He only wondered how far his luck, that was accompanying him till now, could actually go. He hoped that at least to the point when they will be able to escape Taris.

"And if we can't get those launching codes?"

"Then simply wait for us and together we'll manage to find some way to do that" Revan answered calmly. Rex at this point also finished taking the armor off the dead man.

"And if you DO get the codes" Revan continued, thinking for a moment. "Then try to find any mean of an escape. We will certainly be needing it after we're done."

His companions were now contemplating Revan's plan in their minds. It did have some gaps and was extremely risky. But on the other hand, it was the only plan, they actually had at the moment. And if it worked out, it could save their very lives.

Carth took a deep breath. He didn't want to do that, but they had no other choice.

"Okay then, I guess, that we have to try your plan," he said to Revan. The man in response only grinned. He also thought of this plan as extremely dangerous. But they did have a momentum. If everything goes well, tomorrow they will be off the planet.

"Very well. Try to search around the cantina for any useful information" he advised. "I'll contact you, if anything goes wrong, or when we accomplish our mission. Now, what are you waiting for? Get out of here! We have work to do!" he ordered, chasing them away, as one does with the fly. He wished that the Force doesn't abandon them in this moment.

* * *

Revan looked around of the abandoned apartment, he and Rex were in. The hall was empty. Cautiously, he stepped outside, his companion following closely behind. They've left the room and closed the door. They didn't want anyone to find the dead bodies.

He moved forward carefully. The Sith armor was very uncomfortable and was reducing his movements. He wondered, how soldiers could fight in that.

Not to mention the helmet. The bloody thing caused him to almost lose his sight. Everything was so dark, because of the vizier. It also made his breathing process difficult. He wished, he had his old armor on. It was everything but the uniform he was wearing right now. But he had no time for pointless wishes. He had to focus on his task at hand.

He saw with a corner of his eye, that Rex was having the very same problems, he did. Now he finally understood why his closest soldiers never wore this thing.

They stepped out of the skyscraper. Now the blackened vizier came in hand. The glaring sun wasn't causing them to close their eyes anymore. The two men walked towards the connector, Revan was previously in. On their way there, they passed few citizens and Sith soldiers. Not a word was exchanged with the other troopers. Fortunately, they were in no mood for talks with different patrols.

Revan and Rex quickly reached the elevator in the connector. This time the guard didn't stop them.

"Another patrol heading down to the Lower City, eh? Good luck… I've heard it's pretty rough down there. There's a big swoop gang war going on, you know. You better watch yourselves: those gangs will take a shot at anyone – even us! It's too bad we don't have the manpower to just sweep those slums clean" the Sith soldier said. Revan, in response, only nodded and walked towards the door of the elevator, that opened with a hiss. He and Rex entered the lift, the door closing behind them. Now they were finally making some progress.

* * *

Carth sighed heavily. The alcohol was already making its way through his body. _Try to search around the cantina for any useful information,_ Alen's words stung his head. He made a mental note to rip apart that man when he sees him again. Fox and Wolfie weren't at the best state as well. If they wanted to get any information, they had to drink with the locals. And as it happened, no one had any useful information. They've wasted few hours on drinking and found absolutely nothing. Fortunately, the drinks weren't so strong. But it didn't change the fact, they've drunk a lot.

They've left the cantina. The fresh air of Taris was something their lungs and brains needed. Carth walked to the closet barrier and leaned through it. He brought up the content of his stomach. His two companions did the same.

Many times in their lives they've heard about how good the Tarisian ale was. But now, after they've tasted it, they didn't want to try any alcohol in their life.

"I'm going to kill him" Fox muttered, trying to keep up on his feet. It was difficult for him and he threw up again.

"Go to the cantina, he said, you'll get information, he said" Wolfie mimicked Revan's words, holding his belly.

Carth said nothing. He had no strength to do so. He only leaned against the barrier, sitting down on the floor of the street. His companions repeated his action.

But still, he knew that Alen was counting on them, despite their current state. He tried to repeat in his mind everything he's heard. Mostly it was some stuttering of drunken men, but actually, there was one thing, that could help them.

 _Only the astromechanical droids can open that bloody doors._ These words stung his mind, but he couldn't make out some sense of them. He didn't remember who has said that, but these words were spoken. Slowly, they've made their way to his consciousness.

 _Only astromechanical droids,_ he repeated, though his actions fell on nothing. He decided, that it would be best to go back to their apartment right now. In this state, they could do absolutely nothing. He only hoped they could make it so far to the closest living skyscraper.

After half an hour, they've managed to pass the way, that took two minutes to walk at most. They've collapsed in the apartment, not bothering to walk up to the bed. Before blackness took Carth for good, one last sentence was throbbing in his mind. _Only astromechanical droids,_ with that, he passed out.

* * *

Revan wiped the blood from the Sith armor, he wore. After walking out of the elevator, they were immediately dragged into the fight with few represents of one of the local gangs. The Black Vulkars, if he remembered well. He and Rex made their way through the Lower City. They hoped to find any track of Bastila in here.

* * *

She felt a presence. A familiar one. Not the voice, like previously. Now she felt a presence, that was approaching her. She recognized it, somehow. But she couldn't make who or what it was. She tried to focus her mind But was immediately shocked with a bolt of electricity. It caused her to pass out again, but one thought appeared again in her mind before the blackness took her. _I'm coming for you._ And once again, she felt relieved.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you liked it. This one also was difficult to write, but I hope, that you enjoyed reading it more than I did writing it. Write in the comments your thoughts and all that you want to share with me. And see you next time!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Have you missed me? I'm sure you have XD so here comes another one. I hope you still enjoy my story, and if you do, then make sure to leave a comment, add it to your favorites and follow it to be informed about latest updates. Have a nice read :D.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 13

Revan sighed heavily, as he leaned against the wall in the Lower City. Normally fighting wasn't anything difficult for him. But the bloody armor he wore, restrained his moves. It made him clumsy and caused him to grow tired even faster. The Sith uniform was heavy. Heavier than the armor that he used to wear as the Dark Lord. And much warmer. He felt sweat running down his forehead under the helmet he had on.

He unclipped the piece of armor from his head and tossed it aside. He didn't care where it landed. Revan used the glove he had on his hand to wipe the sweat out of his face. Even though there was no fresh air here in the Lower City, it was still a big relief to have this bloody helmet off.

Around them laid dozens of corpses. The Black Vulkars didn't respond well to the arrival of two, dressed in Sith uniforms, men. And now they've realized how great was a mistake of attacking the new arrivals.

The dead bodies had red armors on. Their faces were visible, but it was a race Revan did not recognize. On each of the faces was a grimace of pain and fear. Certainly, the local gang didn't expect to be attacked by lightsabers, not to mention the Force lightning.

Revan knew that using his abilities was… risky, at least. But he couldn't hold himself. Until now, he didn't realize how much he enjoyed fighting. Or simply, killing. It was refreshing for him. It helped him to clear his mind and to achieve something close to peace, the Jedi always seek.

Rex also took off his helmet and tossed it away. He, just like Revan, had sweat on his entire face. He was panting heavily, resting palms of his hands on his knees. The air here, in the Lower City, was a heavy one. There was practically no access to the fresh air. There was only some kind of a window, that gave a possibility to look at the swoop bike race tracks. But no air from the Upper City could go through it.

Revan detached the metal pieces from his armor, leaving on himself only a black vest and trousers. At least the uniform was easily modifiable. Rex followed his lead.

"It might be good to hide them somewhere. We can get ourselves into a trouble if anyone finds the dead bodies" Rex suggested, panting all the time. Revan only nodded, still not being able to make out a full word. But for sure, he wasn't going to use his already exhausted body even more. He focused himself and lifted the corpses with the Force. Closing his eyes, he directed them to the 'window' and threw the bodies through it. They probably landed somewhere in the Undercity, but he didn't care.

Revan sighed with relief. Now, without these metal pieces, the suit was much airier. He picked up his lightsabers, which were laying on the floor, and clipped them back to his belt. He had to find some way of hiding them. It wouldn't be good if anyone saw him with the typical Jedi weapon.

He and Rex were about to head further into the slums, but one thing stopped them. A… clapping? They quickly realized, that indeed, someone was applauding. They turned around and saw a man, dressed in a light-colored armor. He was looking in their direction. Revan carefully hid his lightsabers behind his back.

"Well, well, well, that's an unusual sight, I must admit," the stranger said, walking up to them. "First, two Sith soldiers are coming down here, to the Lower City, and next they effortlessly kill the best Vulkar fighters. And finally, they turn out to not be the Sith. What brings you down here, strangers?" the man asked. Revan was taken aback. How long was this man out there, spying on them? And how is this possible that he didn't sense him?

"Who are you?" it was certainly good to know something about the odd-looking man. He had a beige-red-blue uniform on. It was more of a suit than actual armor. It didn't provide any good protection but was perfect for the heavy conditions of the Lower City.

But there was another thing in the man's appearance, that caught Revan's gaze. It was his eyes. They were white. But not like the blind man. They were… prostheses, he realized.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Gadon Thek. I'm the leader of the Hidden Beks" the man introduced himself, showing no signs of mistrust towards the two of them. "I judge, after what you've just done, that you're not the Black Vulkars, nor the Sith. And this gives me enough reason to call you my 'allies'" he finished, pulling out his hand. Rex took a glimpse at Revan. The man in response only shook slightly, almost unnoticeably, his head. The soldier visibly relaxed and took the offered hand, shaking it.

"My name is Rex" he introduced himself in response, letting go the other man's hand.

"And I'm Alen," Revan said, using his fake name. He also shook Gadon's hand, holding both of his lightsabers in his left hand. With that, the white-eyed man retracted his arm.

"I take it, that you have a reason to go down here. It's… unusual for someone to come here from the Upper City."

Revan thought for a moment if this man could be trusted. Gadon certainly showed no signs of mistrust, but the former Dark Lord knew better not to put faith so easily into the first met person. But there again, they needed help. They knew nothing about Taris' surface and they needed all advice about the escape pods from the Endar Spire.

"We're looking for something" Revan answered.

"The crashed escape pods?" Gadon asked with a smile. The former Dark Lord's eyes widened in shock.

"How did you…?"

"Well, this is the only interesting thing down here" Gadon explained. "And many came for it before you. The Sith, bounty hunters, also the Vulkars went to the Undercity, searching for something valuable. The question is now why do you want to get to the pods?" he finished, watching them with his white eyes. Revan thought that there was no point in avoiding the straight answer.

"In one of the pods was our companion" he began, eyeing Gadon carefully, holding his lightsabers behind his back. "A female. A young woman, in her late teens, around my height, brown hair, gray eyes" he described Bastila.

"Hmm… I'm not sure if I know who are you talking about" Gadon replied after a moment. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you much. Nor I or my men had found anyone in the pods. It's possible though, that we were simply too late. The only thing I know is that you should go to the Undercity. That's where most of the escape pods have crushed" he finished. Revan only nodded in response. He wasn't used to getting answers he wanted so easily. Normally, he had to threaten, or even torture someone, to claim the information he craved. He had no idea, why this so-called Gadon trusted them so much to share so many news. Revan never believed in this saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. It had no sense for him, but apparently, not everyone shared his point of view in that case.

"Why are you helping us?" he asked. This one thing intrigued him. He could, of course, enter the man's mind, but something was stopping him from doing that. For the first time in over four years, he respected someone's privacy. _I'm growing weak,_ he realized. It was certainly nothing good. He had to fight that in his mind. He couldn't become a weakling, after all. If he escaped this planet, he would have many things to accomplish. And losing his strength certainly, wouldn't help him in that.

"I have my own motives" He responded, giving a clear signal, that the subject was cut off. Revan had to fight back the urge to rip this man apart, limb by limb, for the tone he used. NO ONE ever before cut him off. "Besides, I'm just returning the favor. You've saved one of my men, who was very valuable to me, so it's natural, that I should help you. Consider it to be acknowledgments" he finished. Now the fallen Jedi understood him a little better. But still, he didn't like the idea of something being hidden from me. Nevertheless, he respected Gadon's privacy.

"Thank you, Gadon," he said, pocketing his pride.

"The pleasure is all mine" the man responded with a slight bow. Revan, unwillingly, returned the gesture. "But I recommend you, to hurry up. Your companion can be in trouble if she was found."

"We set for her immediately" Revan answered. "And once again, thank you."

"As I've said, the pleasure is all mine, Jedi."

Revan turned around when he's heard that. But no one was in the corridor, except for him and Rex.

* * *

Carth woke up with a terrible headache. He felt a hard surface underneath him. He tried to move his eyes under his eyelids. It caused his head to explode in even bigger pain. The Republic's officer stopped his eyes. When he felt the pain subsiding, he decided to do one, extremely stupid thing.

He lifted one of his eyelids.

Immediately, his head again exploded. Carth felt dozens of swords impaling his head. It was a huge mistake. But still, a sense of duty has managed to get into his mind.

He knew, that Alen was counting on him. And even if he didn't know much about the mysterious Republic soldier, he didn't want to disappoint him. He was sure of that.

Carefully, he lifted his second eyelid. This time the pain was smaller, but still, it was there. With his now opened eyes, he could make out few things of his surroundings.

First were his two companions. They both were also laying on the floor, unmoving. But they were alive. Their upper bodies were moving slightly with their breaths. But except that, they remained motionless.

The second thing, that came to his consciousness, was the place they were in. He recognized it to be one of the many of the Taris' apartments. One, that has provided them the shelter they needed. And with the realization of what planet they were on, came one more thing.

Launching codes. It was his task. Alen asked him to get them. He actually asked to break into the Sith Military Base. Carth found this idea ridiculous. But nevertheless, he understood how important it actually was. Yet still, he didn't like it.

He tried to move his body. At first, his muscles didn't respond, but after a moment, his arms started to twitch a little. It was already some kind of progress in reclaiming control over his own body.

When he could move his hands freely, he tried to lift himself into a sitting position. It was difficult, but years spent in the Republic military made him as stubborn as many Jedi Masters, who lived on the Coruscant. He greeted his teeth and pushed downward with his hands.

There was a result. He felt himself lifting up from the hard floor. And when his arms were fully stretched, they collapsed. He fell back on the floor, hitting it with his face. He managed to turn his head a little, so the only thing that suffered was his cheekbone.

But he didn't give up. His companion was depending on him. He had his trust, and certainly, Carth wasn't going to let him down. He placed palms of his hands on the floor once again.

He started to crawl. Slowly. Centimeter after centimeter. His target was the wall, that seemed to be miles away. But he kept on crawling.

After what seemed like ages to him, Carth finally has managed to reach the wall. He placed his hands on it and tried to lift himself into a sitting position once again. This time, it wasn't as clumsy as moments before. After almost a minute, he was resting on his legs, his back placed flatly against the wall.

His companions were still fast asleep and most probably they weren't going to wake up anytime soon. He had to stand up. He had to start doing something.

Carth brought palms of his hands to his face and wiped it, trying to get rid of the sleepiness, that still held him. He took a deep breath, and, once again, placed his hands against the wall.

He used his arms to lift himself up fully. He had to regain the full control over his body. And in order to do that, he had to stand up. Slowly, he has managed to keep his balance only on his feet, with the support of the wall, of course. His legs were trembling, but still, he was in a standing position.

Once again, he took a deep breath, trying to calm down his shaking knees. He let go off the wall and took an uneasy step forward. It was risky, to say the least, but he had to try. And actually, he managed to walk on his own.

His steps were small, like those of a small child, who is learning to walk. But he wasn't a small child. He was a fully grown-up man. A soldier of the Republic. One of the finest actually. And he had the task at hand. He couldn't simply allow some alcohol to stop him.

With that in his mind, Carth started to make his way to the refresher. The cold water would certainly help him. He has managed to get there without falling down to the floor. He was proud of himself. If he could defeat a hangover, no Sith could stop him from getting those Launching codes.

* * *

He knew he should have been more careful. Using the Force left an echo. The echo, that was felt by all the Force-sensitive beings around. He had to reduce his usage of It.

But it brought him such a relief. To be able to use it again, after over two months. It was like being blind for few weeks and having one's sight returned. He couldn't help but enjoy the possibility of using the Force.

But he had to be careful. If Malak sensed him, the planet would be blown into a dust immediately. He had to restrain himself, even if only for few more hours or days. He was a former Dark Lord after all! He had many attitudes, and patience was one of them.

He cut down the Sith soldier, who was blacking a passage to the elevator, that led to the Undercity. The poor man thought, that he can stop the fallen Jedi and one of the best soldiers the Republic and his Empire has ever seen.

Revan stepped with Rex into the elevator. He only hoped to find any track of Bastila this time. Even her blood. That would be certainly better, than having nothing. He also hoped that Carth was at least trying to fulfill the task, he gave him.

He and his man didn't exchange any word. It wasn't necessary. He knew what had to be done, and Rex knew, that he was supposed to help his master in doing it. And talking when there was no need in that, was pointless. It's a waste of a time. The time, they didn't have that much.

* * *

 _We should have just killed him,_ the thought entered his mind. It was something that didn't let him be for a few days already.

A few days ago, he felt it. A stir. Or more precisely, an awakening. Like someone, who was in a coma, suddenly woke up. And it sent an echo. The echo, that was felt by most of the Force-sensitive beings in the entire Galaxy. And with that, the realization struck him.

They've made a mistake. _He_ made a mistake. Allowing this man to stay alive. From the very beginning, he felt something wasn't alright. The whole process seemed to be… too easy. Like that wasn't something, he expected from the man. He thought, that he would respond in any way. That he would try to fight, to defend himself. But instead, he allowed them to do this.

And now this man was parsecs away. With his apprentice being responsible for watching over him. It was dangerous, to say the least. But it was also necessary. That man had the information, they needed. And now, he was beyond their reach.

He wasn't sure if his true self has shown up. But it was obvious for him, that the Force has awoken in this man. And that alone was dangerous.

He sighed heavily and rubbed his face. He tried to concentrate his thoughts in order to speak with his friend. He needed her advice, and he needed it now. She felt too for sure.

 _We should have just killed him._

* * *

Carth sighed heavily again. But right now it was due to the relief he felt. The water helped him to get the rest of the hangover out of his head. And now he just had to wake up his two unconscious companions.

He decided to wake them up in the most efficient way possible.

He splashed the water against their faces.

In an instant, they woke up, looking around frantically. Their expressions were those of a surprise. They didn't know why they have been laying on the floor, nor why they had such a terrible headache.

"Get up! There's the work that has to be done!" Carth said, walking away from them to get his full equipment. He watched in silence as Fox and Wolfie started to stand up, only to fail miserably. He truly enjoyed this moment, and he was going to do absolutely nothing to help them. After all, everyone needed some fun, right? Especially during the bloody war.

* * *

 **That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, then you know what to do. Stay tuned for the next update. Also, the frequency of updating won't speed up I guess. I've decided to play KotOR again, to refresh my memories of the game XD. But still, the updates will be coming up at least two or three times a week. Personally, I didn't like much Revan's and Rex's encounter with Gadon, so be sure to leave your thoughts about this scene. I won't be offended if you say, that it wasn't written good, cause that's what I actually think XD. Till next time!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Welcome again. As always I ask you for reviews, adding this story to your favorites and following it (if you haven't done it yet). But right now just read and then share your thoughts about this chapter and the whole story as well.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 14

Malak was standing atop of the bridge of the Leviathan. Below him, through the viewport, he saw Taris, a planet forgotten by the Force, in his opinion. Even during the Mandalorian wars, he found this place pathetic. Mostly because of the presence of the Exchange, with the Davik King as the leader of it. During his time as the General of the Republic forces, he had a close encounter with the crime-lord. And he did not like any second of it. This man disgusted him. The way he treated those beneath him. The Dark Lord of the Sith almost chuckled at it. Years ago he believed in such things as compassion, but now he considered it to be a weakness. Something that could belittle his power. And he could not allow for that. He couldn't allow himself to become weak as Revan.

Malak's thoughts drifted to his former master. The current Dark Lord was almost sure, that he had managed to kill his predecessor. But he felt something at the edge of his mind. Someone's presence. And through almost twenty years, he got so used to his presence, that he could easily recognize it anywhere. Revan was somewhere out there. That was sure. Apparently, the Jedi have managed to escape the destroyed flagship, taking Revan with them. And if they did, the former Dark Lord was surely left alive. And it scared Malak a bit.

He knew, that the Jedi Council wasn't as stupid as his old master claimed. For sure, they've done something to Revan. Something to erase the threat, he used to be. But nevertheless, they haven't killed him. The Code didn't give them a permission to do so.

And that brought the problem. If Revan was alive, then, sooner or later, he would become a challenge for Malak. And that was something that sent small shivers down his spine. Even defeated, Revan remained powerful. Eventually, he would regain his old powers.

To top it all off, Malak sensed his old master's presence right below the Leviathan. Somewhere on Taris. Could it be? Has the Jedi Council truly been so stupid, to assign Revan under Bastila's command. He had to concede it to Revan. Those 'Masters' truly were arrogant fools. They've proven it dozens of times during the Mandalorian wars, and they kept on doing it till now.

Malak watched the planet below. Taris was slowly rotating on its own axis. His golden eyes, burning with hatred, observed the City, that was built on its surface. This planet might as well be turned into dust, in his opinion. But he desired one person, who was there. He needed Bastila. He knew, that he could win this war without her battle meditation. But he wanted to pay back for what Revan has done to him. He wanted to take his anger out on her since she used to be the closest person to his former master.

First, he would torture her. He would make her scream in pain, she has never experienced before. He would turn her into his apprentice, by showing her the true power of the Dark Side. He knew, that she would be resisting him. But he knew how to break her.

He would use her attachment to Revan for his own purposes. He would develop her affection for him into hatred. And from there, she would go down the path of the Dark Side.

And when she will be already under his influence, he would take her dignity. It would be his personal revenge on Revan. He knew, that nothing could hurt his former master more than the suffering of someone close to him. And the closest person to him was definitely Bastila.

He knew of their secret relationship. And he would take all the pleasure of using it against Revan. Personally, he wasn't having a grudge against Bastila, no. He saw her as a younger sister. But still, she was close to the man he hated. And that gave him a very good reason to make her suffer.

Malak smirked in his mind at the thought, that has entered his mind. He saw, with an eye of his imagination, Revan's reaction upon seeing Bastila, after he was done with her. He imagined his former master's pain after he encountered his lover. She would be broken, turned into Malak's apprentice and a servant. She would become his slave, who was supposed to satisfy his every need. And the Dark Lord was pretty sure of Revan's response for that.

First, he would be in despair, upon seeing his beloved one in this state. And then heartbroken, after realizing, that he was supposed to kill her. It would make him suffer unimaginably. Revan surely was physically available of killing Bastila. He outmatched her in every way when it came to combat. But being forced to kill someone you loved? Malak couldn't think of anyone, who would be supposed to do that.

Malak fought an urge to laugh evilly. His plan of taking revenge on Revan was done. And he was looking forward to fulfilling this plan. But the only thing he could do now was to wait.

* * *

"You there! Up-worlders! Anyone using this elevator has to pay the toll!" Revan and Rex were greeted, after entering the Undercity.

"Yeah, this is our elevator! If you use it, you've got to give us something!" the second man shouted at them.

"I don't believe this planet! Even the beggars are trying to shake us down." Rex commented quietly, chuckling slightly.

"Five Credits! That's what it costs to use our elevator! Five Credits!" the first one added with a demanding tone. And Revan certainly didn't like anyone using this tone against him.

"Get out of here you filthy beggars!"

"Oh, you think, that if you are from up, then you can simply treat us as trash?" one of them said with an angry tone.

"We'll teach you some good manners!" the second one added. They took a fight stance and prepared themselves for the fight. But it was something, that Revan had no time for. He had much more important things to accomplish, than arguing with two beggars. In a blink of an eye, he ignited his both lightsabers and leaped at the strangers. With a swift blow, he decapitated these two men, who were stupid enough to threaten him. The headless corpses collapsed onto the ground with a soft thud.

Revan turned off his lightsabers and clipped them back to his belt. Fortunately, no one was around. A small village, if it could be called so, seemed to be abandoned. This caught Revan's attention. If no one was there, then what these two were doing here?

"Be cautious," he said to Rex. "Something seems to be wrong here."

His companion, in response, only reloaded his blaster. They marched in silence through the abandoned village. A smoke was coming from the small cabins and tents, and everywhere, the odor of rot was being felt in the air. Revan brought a hand to his face, in order to cover it from the unpleasant smell. He fought an urge to throw up. For a brief second, he wondered how anyone could live down here.

Revan kept on walking forward until he stumbled on the body. He looked down at the corpse, he had walked on.

It was a man, he judged from what little remained from the dead human. His clothes were soaked up in dried blood and covered with mud. His whole face was a mess. Long gashes were spreading across his features. It made it unrecognizable. Revan, once again, fought an urge to throw up. The man's whole face was one big wound.

Rex knelt next to his General. His face furrowed at the sight. Never before has he seen someone so deformed. He brought up his gloved hand to the remaining of the man's head and traced his fingers along the gushes. It wasn't left by any weapon, that was sure. But Rex hadn't met any creature, that would leave such traces as well.

"Do you have any idea what has caused that?" Revan asked in a whisper, his voice shaking a bit, and a small steam coming out from his mouth. No one knew, what could leave such marks.

Rex, in response, only shook his head. He also was a little afraid. The unknown creature could be dangerous. And they were now in a middle of nowhere, with little knowledge of their surroundings.

Suddenly, they've heard a little growl. A steady, low growl, resembling a little, a wolf's snarling. It was coming from their right. There was a wall, covered in shadows. And this sound was coming from that shadows.

The growl started to grow louder, and now it was coming from different sides. Revan and Rex slowly stood up, having their backs against each other. They took a defending pose, preparing their weapons. They were moving in circles, trying to localize the source of the sound. The former Dark Lord, again during this day, ignited his lightsabers. They weren't giving a lot of light, but still, it was better than nothing.

Revan saw, with a corner of his eye, something emerging from the shadows, which were around them. A strange creature was coming in their direction. It was pale, as the dead ones, and was walking on rear legs, with the front ones as a support. It had a round head, with two holes on top of it. It had also few black hair, standing out of the head and a few teeth in something, that resembled a mouth. A small trail of saliva was coming out of it.

More of these creatures started to emerge from the shadows. Revan and Rex were surrounded by the aliens and outnumbered. Ten pale creatures were heading in their direction.

One of them decided to leap at their potential prey. Rex immediately lifted his blaster rifle and aimed it at the creature. He pulled a trigger and watched the strange thing flying backward, only to raise on its legs again. The soldier was stunned. He aimed perfectly into the creature's head, and yet, it remained alive.

The rest of the pack followed the first alien's lead and leaped at the two man. Rex quickly regained his footing and started shooting at other creatures. The effect was similar to the previous one.

Revan was waiting patiently for the creatures to come closer. One of them was stupid enough to do so. The fallen Jedi killed it with one swift movement of his arm, cutting the alien in half. The corpse has fallen dead on the ground.

Rex followed his lead and draw his vibroswords, he took with himself. The blaster rifle was for nothing in the encounter with the strange creatures. They've continued the fight in this way. The two man were waiting for the attackers to make the first move, and then, they were cutting them in half. But the creatures kept on coming. They've kept on killing them, but in place of the one killed, two others showed up from the darkness.

A sudden flash caused the two men and the creatures to lose their footing. _A flash grenade,_ Revan stated. He closed his eyes immediately. When the senses were failing, the Force was coming in hand. He sensed few people coming in their direction. _Warriors,_ he stated from the way they walked. At least the man at the front.

The blaster shots followed the explosion, and with that, the groans of the creatures came. Revan and Rex heard thuds of something hitting the soft ground beneath them. When the whiteness finally started to disappear and they've begun to see something around them, they've noticed the creatures lying dead on every side of them. And then, they saw a group of three men coming in their direction.

"Well, well, well, a Jedi here? Davik will be most pleased with this" a deep voice said. It belonged to the one, standing at the front. It was a tall man. He had a muscular body. It was obvious from his posture, that he was an experienced warrior. He had short, grey hair, and a smoothly shaved face. He was carrying a heavy blaster rifle and was dressed in knee-high black shoes, beige trousers, black sleeveless shirt, and, also sleeveless, coat. He also had a black tattoo on his left shoulder. He was being followed by two men, who were visibly afraid. They were no warriors. They were mere boys.

"If you think I'll be your prey, you're mistaken, _Mandalorian_ " Revan answered, eyeing the man cautiously. He knew him. He remembered that voice. But he couldn't come up with the name.

The man at the front literally stopped in his tracks.

"I know you, _Jedi_ " he answered with the same tone after a moment. He kept his eyes on the man with the lightsabers in front of him.

"Canderous we don't have time for that" one of his companions whispered at the man. Despite the distance between them and Revan, he easily heard that.

"Shut up you little coward!" Canderous responded. "If you want to run away to Davik, I'm not stopping you. But I prefer to come back with something, that has any value."

"As you wish" the same man answered and turned to leave. His second companion followed him close behind.

"So… Canderous, isn't it?" Revan asked with a slight smile dancing across his lips. He started to come closer to the man. "That's funny. Last time I've seen you, you were staring helplessly, as I was killing your leader."

Mandalorian's eyes widened in shock. That could not be, could it?

"Revan?" he whispered slightly. The man grinned further.

"I'm happy, that you remember me."

"How could I forget you? You were the only one who dared to face us. You, your two Jedi friends and the three soldiers, who were following you.

"I'm most pleased with your statement, Canderous" Revan answered. "And this is actually one of my men, Rex" he introduced his companion. He and the Mandalorian only nodded at each other. "What are you doing here, you old bastard?"

"Trying to find a job, and what else could I be doing here? Since the war against the Republic, I'm wandering across the Galaxy to find a place for my old ass" he answered with a chuckle.

"And you ended up working for the Exchange? How low have you fallen" Revan responded, teasing the old man.

"Yeah, and now I'm looking for some way of getting out of this bloody planet."

"As it happens, we do as well" Rex interjected.

"Yeah, we've crushed here" Revan added.

"You were in that Republic Cruiser? Hell, how have you found yourselves there?" Canderous asked with a small laugh.

"A long story for other times."

"Hmm, I see. So, what brings you down here?"

"We're looking for one of our companions. A female Jedi. She was in the escape pod, that has crushed somewhere here. We're looking for her. Or any trace of her" Revan responded.

"Well, the only escape pod that has crashed nearby is few hundred meters away from here, actually" Canderous responded, pointing with his hand. "I think, that this is a good place for you to start your searching."

"Thank you, Canderous" he answered and turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, hey, where do you think you're going? There's no way I'm letting such an occasion pass me by" the older man said, running up to them. Revan only looked at him questioningly. "What? Like hell, I'm coming with you. Something says me, that you, of all people, will manage to get me a job" he finished. Revan now smiled.

"It's good to have you on my Side, Canderous," he said, pulling out his hand. The man shook it in response. Rex mimicked his leader and also exchanged a handshake with the Mandalorian.

"I'll follow you anywhere, _Mandalore_ " he added. Revan smirked at that. Theoretically, he owned that title, after winning a duel against Mandalore the Ultimate.

"That's good. But please, for the time being, refer to me as _Alen_. I'll explain you later why."

"Of course… _Alen_ " he responded, trying a new name on his tongue.

"Good. Now, we have work to do, don't we?" Revan said, breaking a friendly moment. The group of three headed into the direction, that Canderous pointed. Rex and the Mandalorian were engaged in a chat about the war, while Revan was at the front, walking in silence.

After few minutes, they've reached the crashed escape pod. A small trail of smoke was coming out of it. There was a hole in the ground, where the pod has crashed. Revan came up to it.

The doors were broken down. The pod was abandoned for a longer time. He came closer to the inside. He ignited his lightsaber, in order to get some light. In the darkness of the pod, he found one thing. A small braid. He took it in his hand and examined it for a while.

"What is it?" Rex asked, trying to see what Revan was holding.

"A track, we were looking for" he answered and handed him the braid. Rex took it into his hands and watched it cautiously.

"This is a Padawan braid. One that the apprentices of the Jedi Order wear" Revan cared to explain. "And, if I'm not mistaken, this one belongs to Bastila" he finished. Rex handed the braid to Canderous. The man took it in his hand and watched it without any interest.

"So that would mean…"

"That she was captured" Revan finished for Rex. He returned his gaze into the escape pod, in order to find any clues about Bastila's whereabouts.

"I think I know who could take your companion," a young, female voice from behind them said. The three men in response turned around and aimed their weapons into the direction, the voice was coming from.

In front of them was standing a blue, Twi'lek girl. A child. She raised her hands defensively at the weapons pointed at her.

"Woah, easy there. I'm not your enemy, you know?" she said with a soothing tone.

"Mission? What are you doing here, kid?" Canderous asked. The girl in front of them furrowed her brows at that.

"Hey! I'm not a kid" she responded, pointing her finger at the Mandalorian, with one hand placed on her hip. "Anyway, Big Z's got himself into some trouble and I wanted to find some help. And then I've noticed, that the village was abandoned, and I stumbled upon you."

"You know her Canderous?" Revan asked the older man.

"Yeah, I do. Her name is Mission Vao. No one knows the slums better than her. But she can be annoying sometimes" he replied.

"Mission, isn't it?" Revan asked the girl. The blue Twi'lek nodded in response. "My name is Alen. You said something that you know where our companion can be" he added.

"Yeah, I mean, I've seen the Black Vulkars dragging someone. From what little I could see, I've noticed it was a woman" she responded.

"That's her," Revan said to Rex. "Can you show us where she is?"

"Well, I can. But not for free" she quickly added. Revan let go a resigned sigh.

"How much do you want?" he asked.

"What? No, I don't want Credits. I only want help. My friend is in trouble" she answered, a weariness clear in her voice.

"Woah, hold on a second" Canderous said. "You want to say, that Zaalbar is in trouble?" he asked.

"Yeah, I've just said that you nerf-herder" she answered. Revan chuckled at that. Certainly, not many people had guts to stand up against a Mandalorian.

"What has happened to him?" the former Dark Lord asked.

"He was caught by a bunch of Gamorreans" she replied with a shrug.

"If we help you rescue your friend, would you help us find our companion?" Revan asked another question.

"Sounds fair to me."

"Very well. Then, why don't you show us where this friend of yours was caught?"

"Follow me!" she replied, visibly happy. The three men followed her, keeping their distance.

"You've grown weak, _Alen_ " Canderous whispered. Rex grinned at that, and Revan eyed the man with a sight that could kill.

They followed Mission all along to a wall. The old doors were standing out of it.

"Well, here we are" she announced. Revan looked down cautiously and immediately pulled back his head.

"Are you kidding us?" he spat out with anger. "These are the sewers!"

"Yeah, and that's where my friend is" she replied, acting as she didn't hear Revan's anger. The man sighed heavily.

 _Guess I don't have much of a choice_ , he thought, as he descended into the sewers, taking a deep breath. His companions following closely behind.

What Revan failed to notice was a small gash on his right shoulder.

* * *

 **Okay, I hope you liked this chapter, and if you did, then you know what to do with it. Please, place your thoughts about my work. That way I know what I can change and what is okay. See you next time!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Guys, I have to thank you. There is already 1000 visitors to my story and over 3000 views. I hope that all of you enjoy my story so far, and if you do then leave a comment, add it to your favorites and follow it.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 15

"Where is he, Mission?" Revan asked; an annoyance was heard in his voice. They've been walking through the sewers for over half an hour already, and they didn't find anything. They've only encountered few Gamorreans, as well as over a dozen of strange, pale creatures, that they were fighting against in the Undercity.

"We're almost there, trust me" she replied, looking around. But her face betrayed her. She wore an expression, that showed, she was lost.

"You're lying kid" Rex spoke, taking a better grip on his blaster rifle.

"No! I promise!" she screamed, looking at them frantically. Tears were forming in her eyes. "We're almost there, we just have to…" she started but was cut off by Revan.

"He's not here, is he?"

"Well, theoretically, he is, but…"

"So theoretically, or is he truly somewhere down here?!" Revan shouted at her, clenching his teeth. They were wasting time.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you!" she shouted back. "I don't know where he is!"

"I knew it," Rex said, cutting her off. "We've been only wasting our time!"

"Then why did you bring us here Mission?" Revan asked, this time with a peaceful voice. He crossed his arms over his chest, as he was waiting for the reply.

"Cause he's in here, I'm sure of it. But I don't know where exactly." the blue Twi'lek murmured.

"You don't know where exactly?" Rex mimicked the girl, eyeing her carefully. She was now biting her lower lip, holding off the tears, that threatened to run down her face. "These sewers might run for miles in every direction, and yet you tell us, that you don't know, where he is."

Revan let out slowly a breath through his nose. They've wasted a lot of precious time here in the sewers.

"Then what are we doing here Mission?"

"I've told you!" she shouted back with an angry voice. "My friend was captured. Zaalbar is somewhere here. The Gamorreans couldn't go far away. And saving him is my priority!"

"And our companion was also captured!" Rex replied with the same tone, as the girl in front of him.

"And what of it?" she spat back. "Why is she superior to my friend? Only because she is some Jedi Sorcerer doesn't make her more valuable than any other being on this planet!"

Revan could see her point. After all, he would do the same, he realized. He began to understand the girl in front of him a little better. But that didn't change the fact, that they were in hurry.

"So that's why we're in here?"

"Well, yes. But still, I can lead you to this girlfriend of yours" she quickly added. Revan, not knowing why blushed slightly at that. "Your companion is not that far from here, actually. She's in the Vulkar Base and..." she started but was cut off by Rex.

"That's in the Lower City. We might as well not go down here."

"Well, that's not true" Mission replied. "The entrance to the Vulkar Base is locked from the inside. So, unless you have the pass card, you won't enter their hideout from the Lower City."

"So how, the fuck, will we be able to get in there?" Rex asked; an anger was clearly heard in his voice.

"Woah, calm down a little" the blue Twi'lek answered, raising her hands defensively. "Actually, there's a second entrance to their base. One located here, in the sewers. Once we save Zaalbar, I'll take you there, I promise" she added, pleading them with her eyes. The former Dark Lord saw the truth in them. She wasn't lying to them.

"Okay, let's hurry" Revan replied. Mission's expression visibly lightened. She turned around and began to walk further into the sewers. Revan, Rex, and Canderous were following her closely behind.

"You know Mission, you could just simply tell us, that you don't know exactly, where he is. It could have saved us some time, if we just split in the beginning" Revan said, catching up with her.

"Well, I was a little unsure, you know?" she replied, not looking at him. "I was afraid, that if I tell you, you won't help me. And there was no one else I could have asked for help. After all, how could I be sure, that you would help me?"

"Well, I see your point" he answered. "But for the next time, just tell right away" he added with a small smile. Mission looked up at him and returned the smile.

"Thank you…"

"Alen" Revan replied.

"Thank you Alen" she repeated. "So, you're a Jedi, aren't you?" she asked, changing the topic. To precise what she meant, she pointed the lightsabers' handles, that were clipped to his belt.

"Well, not exactly" Revan responded, avoiding the straight answer. "Let's just say, that I know a few Jedi tricks. I used to train as the Jedi Padawan, but let's just say, that the Jedi didn't like me much" he added, chuckling slightly."But, not a word about that to anyone, you got it? Not everyone knows about my past, and I'd rather want that to keep it that way" he said, pointing his finger at her.

"Hey! You don't have to worry about me!" she answered with a joyful tone. "I can keep a secret. You can count on me!" Mission added, punching him lightly in the arm. Revan smirked in an answer, as they continued on down the sewers.

* * *

"Hurry up T3!" Carth shouted, firing at the Sith soldier. They've managed to buy an astromechanical unit in a store in the Northern Upper City. Right now, they were in the Sith Military Base. He, Fox and Wolfie were fighting with the soldiers, while T3-M4 was getting an access into the computer.

The droid only let out a series of beeps and whistles as an answer. Carth turned back his attention to the soldiers, that were running into the room they were in. They've kept on killing dozens of them, and they kept coming.

Fox and Wolfie, on the other hand, were on the cloud nine. It's been a while if you don't count the Endar Spire since they had a possibility to fight. And to be outnumbered by the enemy, it was something that caused them to be filled with joy. The Sith soldiers were no match for them. But nevertheless, it was good to shoot again.

A series of beeps and whistles were heard from the T3. He did it. He managed to get the launching codes.

"Fox, Wolfie cover me," Carth said, hiding behind the desk, T3 was working at. "I'll contact Alen about our progress" he finished. The two men only nodded in response.

"This is Carth Onasi. Alen do you hear me?" he said at his communicator, that was placed on his wrist. But no answer came back.

"I repeat, Alen do you hear me?" he asked again. This time a series of muffled sounds came as the response.

"Can you repeat?"

"I… er yo… arth" was the muffled response.

"Did you find Bastila?" Carth asked.

"…ot ye… we… rking on tha…"

"We have the launching codes"

"…od. Wa… for u… in th… apart…" was Alen's response. Even though the message wasn't clear, Carth could make out what his companion has said. They were meant to come back to the apartment they were using as the shelter.

"Copy that" Carth responded, turning off his wrist communicator. He stood up from behind the desk. He saw Fox and Wolfie leaning against the wall, the Sith corpses lying everywhere around them. Apparently, no one else was coming here.

"We have what we wanted. Let's get out of here" Carth said to his two companions. Again, they've only nodded in response. "Come on T3!" he shouted at the droid. He followed the three humans without a sound.

* * *

Revan turned off his communicator. So far, the Force, or luck, was working with them. The only thing they had to do, was to find Bastila. And a ship, of course.

"Zaalbar!" Mission's shout brought him out of his thoughts. They've entered a small chamber, a Wookie standing in the middle of it. The Twi'lek girl ran up to the creature and hugged it tightly. The beast let out a series of groans and roars.

"I can't believe we've been wasting our time to rescue a… a… a walking, hairy carpet" Rex murmured under his breath for Revan only to hear it. The man only nodded in response. Indeed, it was a little… infuriating to know, that they've spent the past hour on saving a Wookie.

"This is your friend Mission?" Revan asked.

"Yeah. His name is Zaalbar. Or Big Z, as I call him" she introduced, turning to her companions. The mentioned Wookie let out a roar, that sounded a little like a warning. The three men raised their hands defensively. Even if they outnumbered him, he still could deprive them of few limbs. And they preferred to remain in one piece.

"Woah! Easy there, buddy!" Mission tried to reason the mad Wookie. "They're friends! They helped me to save you!" she added, soothing him. Zaalbar visibly relaxed at that and let out the another series of growls and roars, this time of the calm ones. But still, he held an offensive pose.

"He says, that you saved him from a life of servitude and slavery" Mission translated, looking at Revan. "And that he actually swears you a life debt. As an act of repaying," she added, watching the Wookie carefully. Revan was taken aback by that. He's heard of that form of gratitude amongst the Wookies, but he has never considered the possibility of having his own walking carpet doing his every wish. He smiled at the thought. He could already imagine this, so called, Zaalbar, ripping Malak limb by limb. It was a… nice perspective for the future. Perhaps he will even let the Wookie to take care of his former apprentice. After he was done with him, of course. The only thing he could still ask for was to have the HK-47 at his side. Sometimes he missed that rusty, psycho droid. But he was lost somewhere in the Mandalorian Space, tracking down the man, who called himself the new Mandalore.

"I'm glad to accept your offer Zaalbar. I will be honored to have you as a companion" Revan replied, faking an official tone, and bowing slightly. The Wookie returned the gesture with another series of growls and roars.

"He says, that you're unusually kind, for your species" Mission translated with a small smile. Revan also smiled. _If only they knew,_ he thought.

"Okay Mission, we've kept our part of the deal. Time for you to keep the promise" Revan said, crossing his arms over his chest. The blue Twi'lek looked at him with a questioning gaze. Then the realization hit her.

"Oh, yes. Follow me!" she exclaimed, passing the three men by, and walking out of the chamber. Zaalbar was walking closely behind her.

"I always wanted to have my own Wookie slave" Rex whispered to Revan, causing the younger man to chuckle slightly. He shook his head.

"Forget that, he belongs to me" he replied, giving him a shot in the ribs. Rex only laughed at the response.

Revan's thoughts now came back to one thing, that wasn't letting him go for some time now.

"By the way, how have you managed to escape Mandalore's ship Canderous?" he asked, directing the question to the oldest men of the three of them.

"Well, it was difficult, I must admit" the Mandalorian began. "All of us were in the shock after you've killed the Mandalore. Then, we were brought back to presence, when we felt the ship being pulled towards Malachor. All of us rushed to the escape pods. First time in my life, I was actually running away from the battlefield. I remember that me, Cassus Fett, and Gorse Bendak have managed to escape. Rest of the commanders weren't so lucky. I swear, I've almost heard their screams, when the ship was being crushed by that strange device of yours" he said.

"And what happened with you next?" Revan continued, visibly intrigued.

"We've managed to find a temporary shelter. One of, not so many, remaining Mandalorians' ships has taken us over, and we've left the Malachor System. We were trying to find ourselves a new home since we couldn't go back to Dxun, thanks to you. After some time, we have split up. I have no idea what has happened with Cassus. But I know that Bendak decided to become a bounty hunter. He was a pretty good one, from what I've heard, until a price on his head was set. Then, he abandoned his job and became a gladiator. I've heard, that he even is here, on Taris."

"Have you spoken with him?" Rex, who joined the conversation, asked intrigued.

"Not really. He spends his entire free time at the cantina, drinking, and fighting. He's not the man he used to be" Canderous answered.

"And how are you any better?" Revan asked, eyeing the man in front of him carefully. "You're working for the local crime-lord, doing his every wish. You've become his toy, a puppet. You're not the same field marshal, who I fought against during the war. You're not the Mandalorian anymore."

That hit the point. Canderous immediately launched himself at the younger man, trying to grip him by his throat. A pure hatred was visible in the man's grey eyes. But Revan was prepared for this reaction. He wanted to provoke it. He jumped back and caught the man with the Force, putting him in stasis.

"I haven't said that to infuriate you Canderous" be began, watching the man in front of him. "I've said that, cause I wanted you to realize something. I wanted you to see, what you have become. You have fallen lower than I expected. And now, I want to give you the opportunity to take back our honor. I give it to you, and all the remaining Mandalorians. I know, that it wasn't the decision of any one of you to attack the Republic. And now, I give you a chance to redeem yourselves. I know what's out there. And I'm planning to fight that. But I will be needing help. So I ask you. Are you with me?" he asked, unfreezing the man. He collapsed on the ground. Revan lowered himself to be eye-level with Canderous. He extended his hand.

"Hey there! Are you coming?" Mission's yell interrupted them.

"Yeah, yeah, give us a minute" Revan shouted back.

"This is a chance for you and every other Mandalorian to take back what you have lost in the war. You have the opportunity to take back your honor" Canderous could see the point in this, what the younger man was saying. But still, it hurt to hear about the honor. It was sacred to Mandalorians, and they've lost it. But yet, there was a chance. The old field marshal didn't have to think long on the answer. He took Revan's hand and allowed the younger man to lift him up.

"I'm glad I have you on my side, Canderous," Revan said with a smile. The old Mandalorian returned the gesture.

"I'm glad, that I can follow you" he responded.

"Very well. Now, we have work to do, don't we?"

* * *

"What is in there?!" Rex asked Mission. His face went deadly pale, as his brain registered the information it got. There was a Rancor behind the very door, they were standing next to. Revan looked downwards. There was laying an arm, ripped from the body. A small trail of blood was heading to the chamber behind the closed doors.

"You've heard me, soldier!" Mission responded with a mocking tone, crossing her arms over her chest. "And what? You're not so brave, I see. As it happens, I've managed to get past that beast few times, actually."

"Come here, you little…" he started but was cut off by Revan.

"We don't have time for that," he said, walking to the doors.

"Hey! What do you think You're doing?" Rex shouted as he was watching his leader.

"Isn't that obvious? I'm going inside" Revan replied, and, before anyone could stop him, he launched himself forward. He unclipped his lightsabers, as he was running at the beast, that was standing in the middle of a stack, made of the human corpses. He ignited his sabers, jumping in the air. The Rancor turned around, as he heard the footsteps. He registered Revan after the man landed on the creature's head.

The former Dark Lord plunged one of his lightsabers into the beast's head. Rancor only let out a painful groan in response and shook violently. Revan had a hard time trying to hold his footing. He used his second lightsaber as an anchor, as he was riding back down. His feet softly touched the ground beneath. Rancor's head followed closely behind. And then, it's entire body collapsed on the ground, dead. Th fallen Jedi Knight turned around to his companions, who were staring at him with wide eyes.

"Hurry up! The sooner we find Bastila, the better" he said walking further into the chamber. The two men, Twi'lek, and a Wookie shook themselves from the temporary trance they were in. None of them said the word.

"Care to show us the way into the Vulkars' Base?" Revan asked mission. The girl said nothing in response, only took the place at the front. The group followed her into a small corridor that was ended with a ladder. She began to climb it, her companions following closely behind.

It took them around ten minutes to get to the top of the ladder. Mission slowly lifted the trapdoor and looked around.

"Okay, the area's clear" she whispered and walked out from the sewers. One by one, her companions followed her.

Revan let out a sigh when he entered the room. Finally, they were close to saving Bastila.

* * *

 **Okay, so here is another one. If you liked it, then leave a comment, add it to your favorites and follow it if you haven't done it yet. Also, I have a feeling that this story is a little bad written so far. I'm planning to rewrite it, but first, I'll finish it. And then I will repair some mistakes I've made. See you next time!**


	17. Chapter 16

**I want to precise, what I meant at the end of the previous chapter when I mentioned my 'bad writing'. I meant some grammar and orthography mistakes, that I have found during reading this story over again. This is the main reason, but I think, that I'll change slightly few scenes, but, as I've said the last time, I'll finish this first. Later I can think about rewriting it. Also, I want to thank all of you who leave comments for the feedback. It's nice to read it and I ask all the rest of you to write a review as well. It helps me a lot and for you it's free, so I would like you to write a comment after reading this chapter :D. Thanks a lot ;) and have a nice read!**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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Chapter 16

"Where is she?!" Revan shouted at the poor Twi'lek man, who had the misfortune of surviving the former Dark Lord's rampage, and now was facing his wrath. He was pinned to the wall by the Force, his limbs stretched in every direction, as the fallen Jedi was shocking him with the Force lightning every now and then.

"I don't know!" he responded in between the cries of pain. The two men who accompanied Revan brought their hands to their noses, as the odor of burned body reached them.

"You're lying," the former Dark Lord said calmly. His voice was quiet. "And I hate being lied" with that, the Twi'lek was dropped to the ground with a soft thud. He was crisped to death. His lekku were still smoking a little, as Revan turned out to leave. Rex and Canderous watched for a moment the dead corpse, but eventually, they followed their leader.

The fallen Jedi looked around the Vulkars' Base. The floor was studded with the dead bodies, that were contorted in pain. Their faces held a grimace of pain, with their mouths open. But no sound was coming from them. A scream was the last thing they've managed to do in their lives, as Revan was killing everyone around.

He came closer to the terminal, where the blue Twi'lek girl was standing. She was working on the securities of the base. After few more minutes, the computer let out a series of beeps, and Mission stood up with a smile on her lips.

"There! The elevator is open!" she exclaimed with joy. Her Wookiee companion let out a roar of appreciation. Revan allowed himself for a small smile, as he eyed the child in front of him.

"Well done Mission" he approved her. She, in response, only smiled wider. Revan began to walk towards the elevator with his four companions following him closely behind. He knew exactly where Bastila was being held. But still, he enjoyed torturing his enemies. It was an old habit he couldn't help but follow.

The group of five stepped into the lift and waited patiently for it to go all the way down. Revan furrowed his brows and clenched his teeth, as he felt a sting of pain in his right shoulder. He turned his gaze towards the spot it was coming from and lifted his sleeve all the way up to his collarbone.

The skin on his shoulder was fiercely red. It had a, not so deep, cut, that was pitch black, with a mixture of blood and a white liquid coming out of it. A pus. Revan grimaced when another wave of pain coursed through his body. He clenched his teeth tighter and pressed the palm of his hand to the wound. He knew some basic healing arts, and it would be good if the pain subsided. Even if only for a while. He felt his actions bringing results, as the throbbing ache slowly lessened. He dropped his sleeve back down, making a mental note to take care of that scratch later.

The elevator reached its destination, and the doors opened. They were greeted by a sight of the pale creatures, they've encountered in the Undercity and in the sewers. Revan, acting on instincts, ignited his lightsaber and decapitated the nearest alien. The whole room was filled with them. They were hovering over the dead bodies of the Black Vulkars.

"What are these things?" Revan asked, pointing this question to no one particular. But he was given an answer.

"Rakghouls" Mission explained, as she fired at the another pale beast, that was advancing on them. One precise shot caused it to fall to the ground. "They are the worse plague, that keeps on spreading across the Taris, ugh…" she continued, but was cut off by another creature, that has managed to get close enough to hit her. Fortunately, it hadn't managed to scratch her.

"Be careful," she said. "This odd liquid on their bodies is a venom. If it contacts your bloodstream, you're poisoned" she warned them. Revan almost smiled at the irony. Now he could understand the source of pain in his shoulder.

"And if I would be scratched, what happens next?" he asked, pretending it to be a simple question, caused only because of the curiosity.

"Well, it depends" again, it was Mission who answered. "If you're strong enough, you live for few months. If not, you die after few days" she began. _A comforting perspective,_ Revan commented in his mind, as he deprived of life another Rakghoul. "If you survive, you began to transform into this thing" Mission added. Revan frowned at that. Would he become something like this? "And here again, depending on how durable you are, you, or survive the transformation, or you die in the process."

The former Dark Lord sent a group of creatures at the other end of the room with the Force. Their bodies hit the wall and fell lifelessly to the ground. _Perfect,_ he thought, as his mind was deciphering the message he received. He didn't ask any more questions. Too big curiosity could raise suspicions.

Rex knelt next to the dead body of the Black Vulkar. He examined his wounds and the pool of blood, that was underneath the corpse.

"He didn't die that long time ago" he commented, as he rose to his feet. "An hour, maybe two ago."

"How have they managed to get into here actually?" Mission asked, directing the question to no one.

"I suppose, that the same way we did" Revan replied. He was looking around the room they were in. He didn't sense any life, except their own of course. But he hasn't sensed Bastila's death as well. That meant, that she was still alive. He followed his instincts, to where the Force told him she was. Eventually, he ended up in a small room with a single cage in it. It was empty. He came closer to the metal bars and examined them.

She used to be in here. Not that long time ago, actually. She was still detectable with the Force. One thing comforted Revan. She was taken from here before the Rakghouls came.

"She's not in here" he stated, sensing his four companions behind him. He straightened himself back up and turned around. He saw a blunt expression on Rex's face.

"Then where can she be?" the soldier asked.

"I have no idea" the former Dark Lord replied. "Let's split up! Try to find anything, that could lead us on Bastila's track. Hurry!" he ordered. His companions did as he said, going in different directions.

 _I only hope, I'm not too late._

* * *

"I've found something!" Mission's yell was heard across the Vulkars' Base. It caught Revan's attention. He quickly found himself next to the blue Twi'lek. "I've found this datapad," she said to him, handing him a small device. The former Dark Lord took it in his hands and began to scan its contents. Mission was saying something to him, Rex, Canderous, and Zaalbar, but he wasn't listening. He was too focused on reading the message, that was in the datapad.

It was a description of this year swoop race. It contained everything. Names of the competitors, some details concerning the track, and the main price. Revan has almost broken the device, after reading it.

The main price was an attractive young Talravinian, human female, with brown hair and gray eyes. Bastila. Revan had to hold back the anger, that threatened to come out with full force.

"…the swoop race takes place at…" Mission was explaining but was cut off by Revan.

"That's not far from here," he said quietly. With that, he sprinted out of the room they were in and ran to the elevator. He used the Force to open the doors. He wasn't waiting for his companions. They would eventually catch up with him later. He had only one priority right now. And this priority was Bastila.

It seemed to him like an eternity, before the elevator finally has reached the main hall of the Vulkars' Base. He stormed out from the elevator and ran to the doors, that was leading to the Lower City. He broke them down with the Force and jumped to the streets of the poorer part of Taris. He was running ahead, not looking if he stumbled upon something. His mind was concentrated on only one thing. Or a person, to precise. All his thoughts were directed at Bastila. Despite being on Taris for the first time, he had no trouble in finding the swoop track. It took him roughly ten minutes to get to his destination.

When he arrived, he saw dozens of aliens, standing on the street. The holovids were showing the swoop bikes on the track. The audience was applauding and cheering on their favorites. Revan scanned the area with his eyes.

"Redros has won! Redros has won!" The Ithorian alien was shouting. The audience was on cloud nine. Revan recognized in the man a Black Vulkar. He was wearing the same specific armor, the former Dark Lord was cutting half an hour ago. And he was of the same species. "You took the first place! You own the main prize!" the commentator said to the Vulkar. In that moment Revan noticed her. Bastila was standing in a similar cage to the one, that was back in the base. She was wearing a mean outfit, that allowed everyone to see the top of her breasts, as well as the abdomen, and long, strong legs. And she had a neural disruptor around her neck. The former Dark Lord watched in shock, as the Vulkar, that has won the race, came up to Bastila. He felt the blood boiling in him.

"Don't you dare touch her" he whispered, but it was heard by everyone, who was around. The audience looked at Revan, and, unwillingly, every one of them took one step backward.

He was still breathing heavily from the run, but the air he let go was coming out in a steam. His eye didn't hold the usual green color. They were now golden. Sickly golden. He took an offensive pose, with the palms of his hands clenched in fists. Small lighting was dancing around his arms.

But not everyone was clever enough, to stand out of his way. The one who won, Redros, quickly recovered himself from the momentary shock and walked up to Revan.

"Stay out of this, stranger!" he said in a broken common speech. "I've won her, and you have nothing to say about tha…" it wasn't given for him to finish the sentence, as he was thrown away, at the opposite wall. His body hit it and collapsed on the ground. It remained there, unmoving.

Revan retracted his hand, that still had the lightning dancing on it, and turned his gaze at those, who was standing next to the cage. The audience was clever enough to realize, that he was someone, who no one should mess with. They quickly ran away from the street back to the slums.

Unfortunately, the Vulkars weren't so wise. They've begun their approach at the lonely man with the vibroswords. Few of them kept their distance and aimed at Revan with blasters. The former Dark Lord ignited both of his lightsabers and also, began his advance.

The first Vulkar, who came up to him, was quickly decapitated. He fell to the ground before his brain could register the fact, that he was dead. Revan's pace was slowly rising, as he was making his way through the next members of the gang. He deflected the shots, that were fired at him, back at those, who sent them. One by one, the Black Vulkars were falling dead on the ground.

When there was no danger, that he could harm Bastila, he used his favorite method of killing. The Force lighting quickly filled the small area they were in. The air was filled with an odor of the burned bodies. He used all his anger, that has built up in him, in this Dark Side art. His lips curled up in an evil smile, as he was watching the men around him falling lifelessly on the ground.

After every one of them was crisped to death, he picked their bodies and directed them to the barrier. He threw them through it, directing the corpses to the Undercity. Soon, they would be nothing more than the Rakghouls' feed.

When there was no sign of the Black Vulkars anywhere nearby, his eyes returned to their normal state. Once again, they were emerald green.

He turned around to look at the woman in a cage. She was hovering, almost dropping to unconsciousness. He ran up to her and opened the cell with the Force. Bastila gave a blunt look and collapsed into his waiting arms. Slowly, he picked her up and retreated from the Lower City.

* * *

Bastila watched with hazy eyes, as the Vulkars around her were falling dead. They were being brutally killed by someone with a blue and a red lightsaber. The Force lightning was dancing on the bodies around her. Soon the air was filled with the stink of burned flesh.

She saw the same man walking to her, and then, the door to her cage opened. She knew, that she should be afraid. That this man could be a threat to her. But her body reacted differently. She felt herself falling forward and collapsing into the man's arms. With that, the blackness took her.

For the first time in the past few days, she felt truly safe.

* * *

He sensed that. A scream in the Force. A cry of dozens of beings being mercilessly killed. And with that, came the familiar presence. Revan was somewhere on Taris.

Malak looked at the planet below with hatred and a small portion of fear.

"You summoned me, Lord Malak?" Admiral Saul Karath's voice broke the silence.

"The search for Bastila is taking too long. We cannot risk her escaping Taris" the Dark Lord of the Sith replied. "Destroy the entire planet" he finished with an emotionless tone.

"Th… The entire planet, Lord Malak?" Saul repeated, not believing what he has just heard. "But… there are billions of people on Taris! We'd be slaughtering countless innocent civilians. Not to mention our own men still on the surface."

It wasn't anything new for Malak to give such an order. But every time, it sent shivers down his spine.

"Your predecessor once made the mistake of questioning my orders, Admiral" the Dark Lord responded, turning to the man he was speaking with. "Surely you are not so foolish as to make the same mistake?"

"Of… of course not my Lord Malak. I will do as you command" he replied, straightening himself and crossing his hands behind his back. "But it will take several hours to position our fleet"

"Then I suggest you begin immediately. You are dismissed, Admiral" Malak said with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, Lord Malak" Karath bowed and turned to give the orders to the crew of the Leviathan.

 _Even if you are out there, Revan, soon you will be dead for good,_ Malak thought. He hoped that this time, his old friend would finally be killed.

* * *

"What is this _Mandalorian_ doing here?!" Carth hissed, as Revan, Rex, Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous and unconscious Bastila have entered the apartment.

"Relax Carth" the former Dark Lord answered with Bastila in his arms. "Without his help, we would probably never survive in the Undercity. We owe him our lives" he reasoned.

"But he is the Mandalorian!" Carth exclaimed as this would be the best argumentation for 'why not to trust this man'.

"The pleasure is all mine" Canderous responded with a mocking tone. Carth clenched his teeth and curled his hands into fists.

"I'll give you pleasure, you little…"

"Enough!" Revan shouted after he laid down Bastila on the bed, drawing an attention of both men. "I don't care if you like it or not, but we have to cooperate if we want to get out from this planet. So, both of you, for the time being, shut up and at least try to accept each other's presence" he said, silencing the upcoming argument.

Carth bit his lower lip and mumbled something in response. Canderous only averted his gaze from the Republic officer.

"Good," Revan said, clapping his hands. "Now, I think we have to introduce someone here. This blue one is Mission. Without her, we would never find Bastila" he began, coming to the girl. "This walking car… This Wookiee is Zaalbar. His Mission's companion. And the big one is Canderous. He helped me and Rex in the Undercity" he finished and moved to the three men standing in the room. "This yelling idiot is Carth," he said, patting the man on the shoulder. "The one without an eye is Wolfie and the third one is Fox" he finished.

"And this is T3" Fox spoke, mentioning at the droid. "He helped us infiltrate the Sith Base and get the launching codes."

"Very well," Revan said, watching the small astromechanical unit. Again, he clapped his hands. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll use the refresher. I haven't been there since these bloody sewers."

With that, he disappeared into the small room. Everyone remained standing awkwardly, not knowing what to do with each other until Mission let out a yawn. This broke the awkwardness and everyone set for their own business.

Carth sat next to the Bastila, eyeing her carefully. He took the palm of her hand in his own ones and rubbed it with his thumb.

Rex, Fox, Wolfie, and Canderous were sitting in the corner of the room, talking about something with the low voices. Probably, they were reminding themselves the events of the Mandalorian wars.

Mission laid down on the bed and decided to take a nap. Zaalbar was standing next to her all the time.

* * *

Revan eyed his reflection in the mirror. He mostly paid attention to the wound on his shoulder. It wasn't looking healthy, but certainly, it looked better after a shower. Now it was cleaned, at least a little. But still, he needed medicines for that. But he decided to leave it for the time after escaping Taris.

He left the refresher in only a towel around his legs. He walked to the bed and collapsed on top of it. He was completely exhausted and gradually accepted the sleep, that came to him.

* * *

 **Okay, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did then leave a comment, add this story to your favorites and follow it. I appreciate every opinion (negative ones as well) so don't be afraid of writing a review. See you next time!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Hello again. As always, I ask you for reviews, adding this story to your favorites and following it. And I hope you enjoy my story :D.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 17

Bastila was slowly coming back to consciousness. She was waking up from a strange dream. In that dream, she was locked in a cage. All of a sudden, Revan has appeared. He rescued her, by slaughtering everyone around. He used many Dark Side techniques, the most frequent one was the Force Lightning. That's all she remembered from that dream.

And with this, came a memory. Before her eyes appeared the vision of her encounter with the Dark Lord of the Sith. It wasn't the full flashback, but only a glimpse. And then, her consciousness began to come back to her.

When she has opened her eye, she saw something, that caused her heart to a bit faster. Her cheeks slightly reddened at the sight in front of her.

In the middle of the room was actually he. Revan. _Alen,_ she corrected herself mentally. And he was shirtless. It was a sight, that many girls in the Jedi Academy were dreaming about. A lot of the female population of the Enclave used to drool at that. Many times, when Revan and Malak, formerly known as Alek, were working out, they were being watched by some young girls. It was always driving Bastila mad, though she has never told that to anyone. Not even to her beloved one.

Though she couldn't help to be amongst these girls. It was almost hypnotizing, seeing Revan performing different exercises. Every time, he did it with the biggest precision, that he could afford. He practiced many various skills. Sword fights, using the blaster rifles, melee combat, and many others, but rarely, he trained with the lightsabers. He literally spent hours in the training rooms. This made him more similar to the machine than to the living being. Most of the teachers actually, were afraid of his wellbeing. But he refused to stop. He kept on spending most of his free time on the training. He even used the neural disruptor to use his physical strength and not the Force. That was… uncommon, to say the least. She even came to ask him once about his training methods, and he cared to explain it to her.

 _Take away the lightsaber from the Jedi, and what will he do? He'll turn to the Force. Strip him out of the Force, and who does he become? No one. He has no means of defense. The Jedi Masters teach us to depend on the Force as if it was the only thing we have in life. And this turns us into invalids. If we don't learn how to use everything, that surrounds us, we will, eventually, become defenseless beings._ These were his words. She could see the point in his way of thinking. But his point of view wasn't shared by the Masters. At least not by most of them.

Eventually, she retreated from those memories and came back to the presence. Revan was standing next to the bed, dressed only in a towel, that was wrapped around his hips. This gave her a perfect view of his torso.

His abdomen muscles were very well developed and his chest had a nice V-shape. The muscles were tightening, while Revan was drying off his hair. His skin was slightly pale. It was the same shade it used to be when Bastila took off his mask back on the bridge of his flagship. But it wasn't unhealthy color. She was more disconcerted with the wounds, that covered Revan's midsection.

Many small, and few bigger scars were scattered on his torso. Some of them looked to be quiet old, while different ones looked like the fresh ones. For a moment, she contemplated how these wounds found their way on Revan's body. _On his perfect, mouthwatering body..._ Bastila mentally cursed herself for such thoughts. She was supposed to become a Jedi Knight soon. She was above such things as passion. Yet still, she couldn't help but to think about tracing her fingers on each of these scars, and finding out how they have appeared on him.

 _And he said that he loves you,_ the second part of her – her heart – has spoken. This caused her to close her eyes back again in order to hold back tears, that threatened to go down her cheeks. She couldn't believe it. For how long would she be crying because of Revan? He's dead, after all. There is nothing left from the former Dark Lord. Now, there was only Alen Royce. But this thought didn't help her. It even caused her to shut her eyes more tightly, as the tears were growing and growing.

"Bastila!"

She was brought back to the present by a sudden yell. She opened her eyes and saw Carth's face above her. He had a worried expression. His brows were furrowed and his orbs expressed a deep concern. Bastila more felt, than saw the Republic officer's hand on her own.

She moved her gaze from the soldier and looked around her surroundings.

She was in a small room. Way too small for a number of people who were in it. There were only three beds. One was occupied by her, the second one by Revan, and the third one by some strange blue shape. Bastila noticed a Wookiee standing next to the last bed.

In the far corner of the room was a small table. Four men were sitting around it on the small chairs. They were fast asleep, she judged by the snoring, that was coming from that direction.

"You're finally awake!" Carth exclaimed, leaning closer to her. Bastila felt herself being pulled upwards. Her back was placed against the bed frame. She gladly accepted a glass of water, that was handed to the young Jedi Padawan. She drank the whole contents of the small cup. The cold liquid brought a relief for her dried throat.

"Thanks," Bastila muttered when she has felt her voice returning to her. "What happened?" she asked. Certainly, it was good to catch up with the latest events.

"We've crushed on Taris" Carth answered, taking an empty cup from her. "Me, Alen, and three other soldiers landed not far from here, while your escape pod has fallen to the slums. We've spent the previous day on finding you. If it wasn't for Alen you would most probably be now in hands of a member of the local gang" he explained, mentioning to the man, who was laying on the bed. "He and his four companions have managed to save you from your cell."

"How?" she asked, trying to hold off fear in her voice. Perhaps that dream of her was something more than just creation of her imagination?

"From this what I've heard, they sneaked into the room your cage was in and took you from there. I don't know much of the details, cause I wasn't with them in that moment" Carth replied. Bastila looked at him with concern in her eyes. If this what he told her was true, the anxiety of Revan coming back to his mind has lessened. _Perhaps it was only a dream,_ she reasoned herself.

"We have almost everything to escape this planet" he continued. "The only thing we don't have yet is a ship. But we should be able to handle this."

Bastila only nodded in response. She was still too exhausted to fully register what Carth was saying to her. She closed her eyes again but didn't intend to fall asleep. She slept long enough. But few more minutes of rest would certainly help her regain her strengths.

* * *

"Wake up princess!" Bastila was brutally brought back to the consciousness by a sudden yell, and hands clapped against each other, right in front of her face. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of palms being pulled backward. Apparently, she has fallen asleep once again.

It was Revan who woke her up. _Alen,_ she corrected herself. But this time, he was wearing a black shirt with long sleeves. Bastila quietly winced at that. Subconsciously, she wanted to see him topless again. But he couldn't spend the whole day with his chest bare, could he?

Unwillingly, she picked up the covers, that were on her. And when she did, she immediately pulled them back on her.

"Care to explain this?!" she shouted fully enraged. Alen took one step backward at her sudden outburst and raised his hands defensively.

"Why so mad?" he asked. "This is what you actually had on yourself when we've found you. I thought, that you would appreciate it if we didn't strip you. But now I guess that I was wrong. If you want, I can repair this mistake" he added with a cocky smile on his lips. Despite his playful tone, Bastila remained enraged. Of course, these clothes were better than nothing, but still, it was embarrassing to wear them.

"Do you at least have something I can put on myself instead of _this?!_ " she asked through clenched teeth. But the man she was speaking with wasn't going to step down.

"Why? I think you look gorgeous" he replied with the same cocky grin. Bastila fought an urge to send this man through the window of the apartment they were in. But instead, she only pushed Alen at the second end of the room, causing him to hit the wall with his back. He was struggling to stand up, but eventually, he succeeded.

"Okay, okay. I see that our little Jedi Princes doesn't have a sense of humor. Jeez!" he commented, straightening himself. He stretched his back, and in response, it let out a loud crack. Alen came to the stack of clothes, that was laying on the floor and picked up a black shirt – similar to his own – and a pair of brown trousers.

"Here, put that on, if you want," he said, handing her the clothes. There was no trace of the previous tone in his voice. She accepted them and pulled them towards her. Alen said nothing at that. He just went back to the bed he was previously laying on.

Bastila took the clothes and rose up from the bed. She had the sheets wrapped around her tightly. She went to the room, that seemed to be the refresher. When she was in, she locked the doors behind her and began to get changed.

* * *

Revan watched in silence as the doors closed behind Bastila. She seemed even more beautiful now when the distance between them wasn't that big. But despite that, she still remained distant to him. Years ago, she would have no problem with cracking different jokes. And now? Now she was doing her best to shorten their talk to the minimum.

He let out a small sigh and looked at his companions. Mission was slowly waking up. Zaalbar was all the time next to her. Carth was doing something at the workbench. From what little he has seen, the Republic officer was working on his blaster.

Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were slowly beginning to stand up from the chairs, stretching their limbs. Canderous was still fast asleep. Revan smirked at that. He still was impressed with the older man's possibility to sleep like the dead.

The former Dark Lord came up to the small astromechanical unit, that was standing next to the wall. It was turned off.

Revan knelt next to the droid and turned it on. Dozens of small diodes began to shine with different colors. When it all was stabilized, the droid let out a series of beeps and whistles.

"Give me an access to your memory," Revan said. T3 responded with beeps and whoops. After few seconds, the former Dark Lord was watching the contents of droid's database.

He searched through many records. He was looking for only one thing. A map of the Galaxy.

He has managed to find it after few minutes. Revan checked carefully one solar system. But, as he expected, it wasn't there. No database contained the information about the system called Rakata Prime, or Lehon. He let out a small sigh. If he wanted to get to the Star Forge, he would have to find all of the Star Maps over again.

"What are you doing?" Bastila's voice broke the silence. Revan rolled his eyes.

"I'm checking our _possibilities_ " he replied. "It's good to have planned few moves forwards."

"I say, that we should go to Dantooine," she said. Revan frowned at that.

"You say? And who made you leader here?" he asked with a clear annoyance in his voice. His reunion with Bastila wasn't as smooth as he expected it to be.

"Isn't that obvious, that I should be in charge here?" she asked. "I have the highest rank in here, and I am the most experienced member of this group" Bastila finished. Revan couldn't believe what he has just heard.

"Excuse me, _your highness,_ but, as I recall, you were the only one, who was captured. If it wasn't for us, you would be still locked in that cell, or even worse" he replied, keeping his anger at bay.

"Oh, please," she said with a mocking voice. "I am a Jedi. Sooner or later, I would find a way to break myself free. They were no match for me."

Revan had to fight back the anger that dwelled in his chest. _I must congratulate Master Vrook when I meet him. His apprentice is equally arrogant and shortsighted as he,_ he thought. He breathed in heavily and let it out slowly with a hiss. Maybe being annoying was common amongst all of the female population of the Galaxy? He had no idea. But through these four years, he hadn't seen her, she has certainly changed a lot.

"Then, almighty Jedi, why don't you find some way of escaping this planet?" he teased her. Bastila visibly frowned at that. "After all, it's a commanders duty to come up with a plan."

The woman's frown, in response, only deepened. She certainly didn't expect him to give such an answer.

"But I can also point anyone I want, to do this task for me. And I give it to you" she said, looking at Revan. He only rolled his eyes in response.

"As you wish, Jedi Princess."

It was then, that she realized what he had said. He used the last nickname he had given her moment before setting to the Mandalorian wars. This raised suspicions in the back of her mind. Did his true identity start to come up? She had to contact the Council.

* * *

"Well, well, well, can it be the great Gorse Bendak?" Canderous' voice rang at the cantina, as he and Revan came up to the man dressed in the Mandalorian armor.

"It's good to see you too, Canderous… it can't be" he replied, as he saw the younger man. Revan only grinned in the response.

"I'm touched, that you still remember me, field marshal" Revan replied.

"What are you doing here?" Bendak asked, still being shocked.

"It's a long story" he replied. "Why don't we have a drink?" he proposed. The two Mandalorians cheered at that. They came to the counter and ordered three drinks. They drank them at once, after receiving them.

"There is no time for talking about the past. We have to talk about the future" Revan said, placing the empty glass back at the counter. "I will be needing your help, field marshal. Yours, and of any Mandalorian, who has survived the Malachor."

"What is it?" Bendak asked, leaning in closer.

"To tell it shortly: Revan wants to help us regain our honor" Canderous replied. The said man only nodded in affirmation. Bendak watched them for a moment, and then, he started to laugh.

"I'm sorry," he said after he has managed to regain his breath. "But this is impossible. We have lost what little honor we had when we invaded the Republic."

"And now you have a chance to take it back" Revan replied calmly. "Another war is coming. One, that can erase us from the face of the Galaxy. I want to stop this conflict, but to do it, I will be needing help."

Bendak was thinking over that. Many times in the past two years, the thought of regaining honor has entered his mind. But he knew that it was impossible. And now, out of nowhere, appeared Revan with an offer of taking back, what the Mandalorian have lost. And by doing this, what they did naturally. By a fight.

"Besides, you owe an obedience to the Mandalore" Revan continued. "And so it happens, that I own this mantle" he added with a small smile. Canderous smirked at that. He used all of his cards wisely. It wasn't long before Bendak gave an answer.

"I'll follow you, to hell and back. And your enemies shall be mine" he said. Revan grinned and extended his hand. The Mandalorian took it and both men shook for agreement.

"Very well. Now, do you have any way of getting out from here?" Revan asked.

"I have a small ship, that can fit one person" Bendak replied.

"Good. I want you to set to Dxun. Gather as many Mandalorians as possible and wait for my command. You can also try to talk with Queen Talia. Mention my name and I'm sure she will speak with you. So go now! We have no time to lose!" Revan said, ordering Bendak to leave. The man stood up, gave a slight bow to the younger one and left the cantina.

"So what now?" Canderous asked.

"Now, I hope that our friends have managed to gather all the supplies we will be needing. It's time to get out from this bloody planet" Revan responded. He and the Mandalorian also stood up to leave.

They met with the rest of their group not far from the entrance to the cantina. From there, Canderous led them to the Davik Kang's place. It was time to fulfill the last part of their plan.

* * *

 **Woah, finally Taris is getting closer and closer to the end. I had a hard time writing this chapter, mostly because I was writing most of it on my mobile phone, and the second reason, cause I was writing it in the middle of night XD but I just had to finish this chapter. Let me know what you think of it, as well as how you enjoy my whole story. If you have any suggestions, feel free to write them in the comments. And if you enjoy this story, then add it to your favorites and follow it. See you next time!**


	19. Chapter 18

**I want to say thanks to all of you who leave reviews. There are already over 50 comments under my story, and for that I'm grateful. But at the same time, I want to ask all the rest of you, who read KotOR retelling for reviews. They mean a lot to me and they are very helpful. So if you enjoy this story then make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments. It doesn't take much time and it's completely free XD but right now I just invite you to read another chapter.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 18

"We have everything prepared for the bombardment, Lord Malak" Admiral Saul Karath reported, as he came to the tall, bald man, who was standing next to the viewport at the bridge. The Dark Lord didn't bother to turn around.

"Then why wait, Admiral? You have a full permission to begin" he said with a metallic voice. Karath bowed in response and turned around to give the orders to the crew.

Malak watched in silence the planet below. His gold eyes were burning with hatred. Soon, Revan would be dead for good.

* * *

"So, Canderous – I see you have brought someone with you. Most intriguing, if I do say so myself. You usually travel alone" Davik Kang – leader of the Exchange said, as he noticed the Mandalorian with two companions. He was an old man with grey hair and wrinkles. He was wearing a purple, heavy armor. A blaster was hanging at his side.

"It's not like you to take on partners, Canderous" Calo Nord – a bounty hunter, who had a reputation of one of the best mercenaries in the entire Galaxy, added. "You're getting soft," he said with a smirk.

"Watch yourself, Calo" the Mandalorian replied with a serious expression. "You may be the newest kath hound in the pack, but you aren't top dog yet!" he spat out.

"Enough!" Davik intervened. "I won't have my top two men killing each other – that's not good business. I'm sure Canderous has an explanation as to why he's not working solo anymore."

"This is a special case, Davik" Canderous began."I ran into someone the Exchange might want to recruit. These two are the finest warriors I had contact with. Except for other Mandalorians, of course. They've proven themselves worthy, and their combat skill might be very useful for your purposes, Davik."

"Soldiers?" the crime-lord asked with surprise.

"Yeah. They took part in the Mandalorian wars. Although, we weren't fighting on the same sides" Canderous replied. "But nevertheless, they are good men. Certainly, they won't fail you."

"The former Republic soldiers, huh?" he deducted from what his mercenary has told him. "So tell me, what is your business with the Exchange?" he asked the two men.

"We're just looking for some kind of the job" replied the first one. His left eye was all white – it was blind. A long scar was running through his brow, an eyelid and ended on his cheekbone. His second eye had a deep brown color. "After the war, we were released from our service. Since then, we are wandering through across the Galaxy, trying to earn some Credits for food and find a place, where we can rest" was his answer.

"My name is Rex" the second one spoke. "And my companion is called Wolfie. I hope, that you will take our expertise under consideration."

"Well, the fact, that one of my men, and actually one of the bests, has put in a good word for you, is already a big step forward. But I cannot take you without first inspecting you" Davik replied. "This is a standard procedure, and it can take even few days. But, as for now, you promise to be good men. Come. I'll take you to the room, where you can wait until the procedure is over.

Canderous, Rex, and Wolfie followed Davik Kang and listened, as he was talking about his palace. As most of the rich ones do, he was blowing his own trumpet. But after around half an hour, he left them alone and set to his own business.

"Okay, we're inside," Canderous said to the communicator he had on his wrist, as the door closed behind the crime-lord.

"Good" Revan replied on the other side of the communicator. "Now, let us in."

"Give us five minutes" the Mandalorian replied and turned off the device. "Let's go," he said to the two men, who were with him.

They exited the room and headed to the left side of their quarters. They passed few other inhabitants of Davik's estate and reached an empty room. Normally, this place served as a massage room, but now, it was abandoned. Canderous came up to the ventilation grate. It was wide for one, maybe one and a half, meter. He used a small dagger, that he was having clipped to his belt, to open it. With that, he turned on his communicator once again.

"Okay, you're free to go," he said and waited for the response. After a dozen or so seconds he heard Revan's voice.

"Copy that. We'll be on the other side in no time" Revan responded. Canderous was about to turn off his communicator, but something caused him to stop in his tracks.

"Get in there, Princess" it was once again Revan's voice, but this time it was distorted. Apparently, he forgot to turn off his own one.

"Are you kidding me? There's no way, I'm going in there" was Bastila's response. Her voice was also distorted. Canderous smirked under his nose. He knew that young Jedi for no longer than one day, but he quickly found out, that she was quick-tempered. Despite what she was saying about herself, she was arrogant. And certainly, he could imagine her reaction to what Revan has said. The old Mandalorian saw with the eyes of his imagination the female Jedi standing in an offended pose, with her hands on her hips. Probably, she had her mouth in an 'O' shape and was watching the taller man with a shock and disbelief in her eyes.

"Yes, you will" was Revan's response. Canderous heard the young Jedi yelp. Soon, it was followed by a loud noise in the ventilation channel. Apparently, the hero of the Mandalorian wars has forced her inside. The old man barely held the laughter.

It took almost half an hour for Revan, Bastila, Carth, Fox, Mission, and Zaalbar, who was caring T3-M4, to reach the second end of the ventilation channel. Just as Canderous expected, the female Jedi had a furious expression on her face.

"Well done, Canderous," Revan said, as he patted the older man's shoulder.

"Took you some time" the Mandalorian replied, teasing him.

"We've encountered few… problems on our way here" he said, looking at Bastila, who was murmuring something under her nose. From what little Canderous has heard, he could make out, that she was complaining about the way she was treated, and that it was inappropriate for the Jedi. The old Mandalorian grinned. He could now understand more, why Revan was referring to her as the 'Jedi Princess'.

"Let's go. We have to get out from this planet" the former Dark Lord said, ignoring Bastila's complaints. The Jedi Padawan looked at him with a hateful gaze. If eyes were able to kill, Revan would surely fall dead to the floor.

"You're an arrogant fool, you know?" Bastila asked when she came closer to the fallen Jedi. He, in response, only grinned.

"Yeah, many people have said that to me" he replied, still having the same cocky grin on his lips. "And you are a spoiled girl from Coruscant" he added, not looking at her. Bastila's cheeks went a deep shade of red because of embarrassment and anger.

"Spoiled girl?!" she said in disbelief at what she has just heard. "I am a Jedi Knight. I am NOT a spoiled girl. I've grown up in modesty and certainly, I'm not spoiled" she said with something, that resembled arrogance in her tone.

"Yeah, of course," Revan replied with a mocking tone. "But I found a gap in what you've just said. Actually, you're not a Jedi Knight yet."

"And what makes you think so?"

Revan said nothing in response. He only pulled out a small braid, that he kept in his pocket, and waved it in front of her face. Bastila first stared at him with an unknowing gaze, and then her eyes widened in realization. She quickly took the braid from the man's hand and her cheeks went even redder.

"Next time, if you want to say something that's obviously not true, make sure that your surroundings do not betray you" Revan lectured her. Bastila said nothing in response. She only dropped her gaze to the ground and quickened her pace, coming closer to Carth.

The former Dark Lord sighed quietly. He wanted, he truly wanted to reunite with Bastila, to resume their old relationship. But, apparently, the Jedi stiffness took best of her. She became just as arrogant as most of the Council members. And that made their possible reunion much more difficult. They walked in silence now. The former Dark Lord didn't pay any attention to what was happening. He hasn't noticed, when they reached the computer room.

Revan was interrupted in his thoughts, as the sound of blaster made its way to his consciousness. He shook himself a little in order to fully return to the present. By the time he was done, two members of the guard were lying dead on the floor. Five more were standing at the far end of the hall, they were in. Canderous, Carth, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were exchanging fire, while the rest was protecting T3, as he was standing at the computer. Revan judged, that the droid was working on the securities.

The guards were quickly joined by the security droids. Revan had to dive on the floor, as a blaster shot passed the place, where his head was previously. He used the metal container, that stood in the room, as a shelter. Bastila was protecting herself and the other three with a yellow lightsaber staff. She deflected all shots back to those, who sent them.

Fox stood up from a kneeling position and cast the grenade at their opponents. After two seconds, an explosion shook this section of the building. The shots stopped. The group of nine waited patiently, for any sign of life at the other side of the corridor. The only sound, that was disturbing the silence, was a steady beeping, that was coming from T3, as he was working at the terminal. When after twenty seconds nothing happened, and the smoke started to disappear, all of them have relaxed. They dropped their weapons.

T3 let out a series of beeps and whistles. He has managed to pass the securities. He moved away from the terminal and headed towards the exit of the computer room. He was quickly followed by the rest.

"The hangar doors are opened," Canderous said, as he checked the records on the device, that was placed on the wrist. "We have a clear way to the ship."

"Let's go!" Revan exclaimed. They all felt the planet shaking. The former Dark Lord has realized, that the worst has begun. Malak gave an order to destroy the planet. They had little to no time.

* * *

"Taris is defenseless against our assault, Lord Malak" Karath reported, coming to the Dark Lord."They are offering no resistance. The city is in ruins" he finished with a quiet tone.

"Resume the bombardment, Admiral" Malak replied calmly. He didn't even move."Wipe this pathetic planet from the face of the Galaxy!" the Dark Lord exclaimed.

"As you wish, Lord Malak" Saul responded with a slight bow and turned around to leave.

* * *

"Damn those Sith - they're bombarding the whole planet!" Davik said to Calo, as he ran into the hangar. "I knew they'd turn on us sooner or… well, look what we have here. Thieves in the hangar" he commented when he saw Canderous, his two companions and few strangers at the far end of the hangar. "So, you figured, that you'd just steal my ship for your get-away and leave me dry and high, while Sith turn the planet into dust, Sorry, but that ain't going to happen" he finished with a laugh. "Take care of them," he said to the communicator, that was on his wrist. At the same time, the turrets of the only ship in there turned into their direction. The group dived in order to find any kind of shelter.

The side turrets aimed at the place, where they were. Revan and his companions found themselves under a heavy fire. Rex and Fox tried to shoot at the ship once or twice, but it was bringing no results.

"Stop!" Revan yelled at his men. "If you so much as harm it, we will be trapped on this planet" he reasoned. He caught with a corner of his eye, as Davik Kang and Calo Nord were running to the ship on the loading ramp. Revan clenched his teeth. He hadn't gone so far, just to be outrun this time. He looked at Bastila for a brief second. She was too busy with defending herself. And she wasn't watching him.

Revan made a small movement with his hand. His action was followed by Davik falling out of the loading ramp, back to the floor of the hangar. He made another move with his hand. As the result, the side turrets stopped the assault. This caught Bastila's attention. He noticed, that she was gazing at him with a concern in her eyes. Revan decided to ignore that and ran in the direction of the entrance of the ship.

The roof of the hangar exploded when the building was hit by the missile from the orbit. The fragments of the building were falling around the gathered people. Everyone raised their hands over their heads in order to protect themselves somehow from the falling remains.

Revan drew his vibroswords. His two lightsabers were safely hidden in a small bag, that was hanging on his side. He has quickly managed to get to Davik. With one swift movement, he took the old man's life.

For a brief second, he wondered, if it was luck, or his skill, or the suggestion from the Force when a blaster shot passed his face by just one centimeter. He looked at the direction where it came from. Calo Nord was pointing his rifle at him. But certainly, the bounty hunter didn't expect to be picked up from the ramp by a Wookiee. Zaalbar tossed him away at the far end of the hangar. Seconds later, the man was pinned to the floor with a large piece of the roof.

"Hurry up!" Revan exclaimed and ran into the ship. His companions followed him closely behind.

The former Dark Lord made his way to the cockpit. In the seats of the pilot and co-pilot were sitting two men. Before Revan could do anything, they were shot dead. He turned around and saw Carth, Wolfie, and Bastila entering the cockpit. A small smoke was coming from the Republic officer's blaster.

"Canderous!" Revan shouted. The Mandalorian quickly found himself in the cockpit. "Help me to get these out of here," he said, mentioning to the two dead pilots. The man nodded in response and picked up one of the corpses. Revan did the same with the other. They ran to the loading ramp and before it has managed to close, they threw the bodies outside.

"We're lucky. The ship is prepared for the take-off" Carth commented. He was sitting in the pilot's seat, while Wolfie sat on the second chair. They quickly put on the pilot gear and launched the engines.

"Get us out of here!" Revan ordered. It was the miracle they were still alive. Luck, or the Force, something certainly was helping them. But they had to cooperate with the help, that they got.

Carth and Wolfie said nothing in response. When the engines were launched, they pulled the ship upwards. What little remained of the building, collapsed now to the ground. The whole skyscraper was obliterated.

"We need to get pass this Sith blockade! I have my doubts as to the usage of the launching codes" Carth said, as their ship left the atmosphere. "The fighters are incoming. Someone get to the guns!"

"Fox, Rex, take the turrets!" Revan ordered. The two men nodded in response and ran to the ladders, that were leading to the ship's guns.

"I go up!" both of them said. The two old colleagues looked at each other and began to argue, forgetting about the situation they were in.

"I go up," Rex said.

"No way, I go up" Fox replied.

"You were up the last time. Now it's my turn!" Rex reasoned. At this moment, the ship shook violently, as it was hit by a fighter.

"REX!" Revan yelled. The man rolled his eyes and went down the ladder. Fox held a victorious grin and went to the upper turret.

"T3 set the coordinates on Dantooine," Bastila said to the small astromechanical unit. In response, the droid let out a series of beeps and whoops and came closer to the computer terminal. After a brief moment, he let out another beep. The coordinates were settled.

The Sith fighters were attacking from each side. They were swift and dealt the precise shots at the ship. It was difficult to hit them. The fighters were quick, and there was a lot of them. Fox maneuvered his turret in order to get at least close to striking the enemy. But it was bringing no results. Rex didn't succeed in his task, as well.

"We're unable to take them down!" Fox reported through the ship communicator. Revan cursed under his breath. There was one possibility of walking out of this situation, but it was risky. At least with Bastila at his side.

But he had to try. Otherwise, they would be shot down and turned into a space dust. He moved his fingers in the smallest way possible. The result was immediate. The two Sith fighters crashed against each other. This brought a disturbance amongst the rest of the squad. Their array has been disturbed. This gave Rex and Fox a great opportunity to shoot them down. In less than a minute, there was no track of the Sith fighters.

"Prepare for the jump to hyperspace!" Carth announced and pulled the trigger. In a brief second, the white points on the black background into something, that resembled the blue tunnel with white trails, that were the blurred stars. At last, they were safe.

* * *

Saul Karath collapsed on the floor of the bridge and coughed violently as his lungs tried to gather as much air, as possible. He brought his hand to his throat, checking if it was in its place.

"You have failed, Admiral" Darth Malak's metallic voice said. Karath didn't dare to look up, so he kept his gaze focused on the Dark Lord's feet. "Young Bastila has escaped."

"I'm ready to accept my penalty, my Lord" he replied with a cracking voice.

"I'm sure you are, Admiral. But I still have use of you" Malak replied. "Rise, Admiral" he commanded. The man stared at him without understanding, but he quickly realized, that it was an order. He did, as it was said to him. Though still, he kept his eyes turned downwards.

"Normally, tha penalty for failure is death" the Dark Lord kept saying. "But you've proven yourself worthy throughout your service. I give a chance to repair your mistake, Admiral."

"Thank you, Lord Malak" he replied, bowing deeply.

"Don't thank yet, Admiral," Malak said, cutting off whatever Karath was going to say more. "The task I have for you is highly dangerous. I don't expect you to survive it. But if you do, you will be rehabilitated."

"What is your wish, Lord Malak?" Karath asked, now looking the Dark Lord in the eye. He had his hands entwined behind his back and his posture was straightened.

"Come with me" Revan's former apprentice replied, passing the Admiral by. The man followed him closely behind.

* * *

Revan collapsed on the bed in the crew quarters. For the first time in few days, he had the possibility to finally rest. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but it wasn't given to him. He felt someone's presence in the room. He lifted one of his eyelids and sighed deeply. Bastila was standing at the door.

"What is it, Princess?" he asked annoyed. Apparently, the Jedi Padawan decided to torment him even more.

"I want to talk to you about something" she replied. Revan, unwillingly though, rose himself up from the bed to sit on it. "I want to know, what has happened back in the hangar, and now before we jumped into hyperspace."

The former Dark Lord realized what she meant. She could be arrogant and shortsighted, just as Master Vrook, but certainly, she was apprehensive.

"What is it?"

"I've noticed, that the Force flows through you" she began. Revan frowned. Is that what she observed? "And I wanted to talk about it with you."

"What do you want to know?"

Bastila came closer and sat next to him on the bed. She wiped her face with her palms and thought for a moment.

"I believe, that the Force is strong you" she began. "There is a Jedi Academy on Dantooine. I will talk with the Masters. Perhaps, they will consider taking you for a training."

Revan's frown only deepened. She hasn't said that, has she?

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that you should take the Jedi training. I believe, that you would become a great Knight one day" she replied. Revan wiped his face. Did she really mean it? And if she did, was this a part of the Council's plan?

At his lack of the response, Bastila stood up and began her way out of the quarters. But she was stopped by Revan.

"I'm sorry, Bastila," he said with a quiet voice. She turned around and looked at him. He held an apologetic expression on his face. "For how I treated you before" he finished.

"I'm… sorry too" she replied with a small smile and left his room. Revan watched for a moment longer the place, where she stood before. It was a good beginning of their reunion.

He laid back down on his bed. There were left almost ten hours before they reach Dantooine. Certainly, he was able to get some sleep through that time. And, if he was right, he would be needing as much strength, as possible, for the upcoming events. Especially for the encounter with Master Vrook on Dantooine.

* * *

 **Okay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And if you did, then leave a feedback. I don't know how you feel, but I feel relieved, cause, finally, the events of Taris are over XD. Let me know, what you think about this story and about my writing style (I hope, that my English isn't that bad, as my teacher says XD). Also, if you have any friend, who likes Revan's tale, then make sure to share this story with him XD. Nevertheless, see you at the next chapter!**


	20. Chapter 19

**20th chapter woho! I don't know yet how many chapters I will write, but I suppose it will be together around 50 or so. And I'm already thinking about the sequel (since, as the title says, this story contains the events of the game, and I want to write what happened next) and even a prequel XD. But first, let's finish this story, and not talk about the others, cause we are not even in the half of this one XD So, right now, have a good time reading the another chapter.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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Chapter 19

"How do you feel, kid?" Revan asked Mission, as he entered the room. She hid in the furthest piece of the ship. The blue Twi'lek was sitting on the bed with her chin resting on her knees. She wrapped her arms around her legs and watched with an unseeing sight the wall in front of her. She hadn't reacted at the sudden presence in the quarters. Revan stated, that it would be best to try to help her. After all, not every day you see your homeworld being destroyed.

"Huh? Oh… sorry" she said, after she realized, that the man was waiting for the response. "I was just thinking about Taris. I still can't believe it's gone! I mean, I grew up there and now it's… it's… it's just gone!" she said, hiding her face further into her knees. Revan has managed to notice a small tear, that ran down her cheek.

The former Dark Lord came closer to the blue Twi'lek and embraced her with his arm. This action surprised not only Mission but also Revan. He didn't consider himself to be compassionate. And yet, here he was. Comforting a girl, who has just witnessed the destruction of her own home.

 _Spending so much time with Carth and Bastila has done something terrible to me,_ he thought. But after a moment, he rethought that. There was nothing bad in cheering someone. And it didn't lessen his reputation of the Dark Lord. Everyone deserved some sort of comfort in life.

He replied nothing, at what Mission said. He just kept embracing her. After a moment, he felt her relaxing. Now she was cuddling into him, pressing her face into his shirt. Revan felt something wet on his chest. He looked down at the girl in his arms and saw, even more, tears coming from her eyes and soaking through his shirt.

They kept sitting like that for good ten minutes. Revan didn't as much as flinch, while Mission kept crying. She was trying to hold back her tears but failed miserably. She was trembling and sobbed lightly. Her hand found its way to the Revan's neck. She pressed her tighter to the older man. After a moment, she began to calm down.

"Thanks, Alen," she said after dozen or so minutes of silence, broken only by her crying. "I needed that, I think" with that, she drew back her head, and wiped the remaining tears with her sleeve. She pulled her hand form Revan's neck and moved away from the man. The former Dark Lord stood up.

"We'll be approaching the Dantooine very soon" he announced. Mission only nodded. Revan stated, that his task in here was done. He walked out of the quarters, where the blue Twi'lek was hiding. He passed the doors only to be stopped by Bastila. He frowned. How has he not sensed her?

She watched him with a concern in her eyes. The young Jedi Padawan held her arms crossed on her chest. Bastila was standing in the narrow corridor, not allowing Revan to pass her by.

"What you've just done was…" she started, searching for the right word. "It was… good" she said. Revan rose one of his brows in a mocking way. Good? Is that the only thing, that she has managed to cough up?

"Is that all you have to say?" he asked. He had no intention to talk with her. He still was exhausted after the events of Taris. And his nine-hour sleep didn't bring any relief to him.

Bastila didn't reply at that. She just stepped away, allowing the man to pass her by. She didn't know what to say. Even though the man was supposed to be Alen Royce, she knew that he used to be Revan. Her best friend, her beloved one, a savior of the Republic, and later, its conqueror. And it still hurt her.

The Jedi Masters have convinced her to their plans on what to do with Revan. And she obeyed. She was there when the former Dark Lord was reprogrammed. She witnessed that. And in the day that came after that, she hasn't left her room. She kept remaining there, crying all the time.

And now, this man came back to her. For her. Despite what the Council has done with him, she knew, that the old Revan remained there, somewhere deep in Alen Royce's consciousness. The best proof was that the Force has revealed itself in this man. Perhaps, only perhaps, the one she loved will come back. And they will be able to live the life together.

Bastila closed her eyes when this possibility came to her mind. Unlikely all thoughts of herself and Revan, this one didn't cause her to cry.

Despite how tempting this perspective was, she forced herself to come back to the presence. She looked around, only to find, that Revan returned to his quarters. She sighed heavily. Soon, they would jump out of the hyperspace. She had to contact the Council in the Jedi Enclave.

Bastila walked to the main part of the ship. In the middle of the big room was standing a hologram projector. She came to it, and turned it on, writing the proper coordinates to contact the Enclave.

Fifteen minutes passed before the Council has replied. Before Bastila appeared four Jedi Master: Master Zhar Lestin, Master Vrook Lamar, Master Vandar Tokare and Master Dorak. All of them held a surprised look at seeing who called them.

"Bastila!" it was Vrook who spoke first. "I have to say, that we are surprised to see you alive. We've heard, that your ship was captured over Taris. But, nevertheless, you're a sight for sore eyes."

Bastila flinched a little. Was that all, that her master had to say to her? That he was surprised to see her alive and in one piece?

"What is it, Padawan?" Vandar asked. He kept supporting himself on the wooden walking stick.

"I have managed to escape from Taris" she replied, entwining her hands behind her back and straightening herself. "I was rescued by Carth and… Alen Royce" she added. The Masters have frowned at that. "And… I felt the Force waking in him."

At that, the four Jedi, on the other side of the hologram projector, let out a series of whispers to each other. Bastila flinched again. It was… infuriating, seeing the Jedi Master ignoring her like that. She helped them to capture Revan and to erase him. She deserved to know, what they were talking about.

"We're on our way to Dantooine" she continued when her conversationalists said nothing to her. "We'll jump out of the hyperspace in mere minutes."

"We need you to come to the Council chambers in the Enclave, as soon as you land," Vrook said to her. "But come alone" he added. "We have to discuss the recent… developments" with that, the hologram projector was turned off, meaning, that the current conversation was over. Bastila sighed. Now, she understood what Revan meant, when he talked about the arrogance of the Council. She frowned a little. Was she becoming one of them?

* * *

Revan watched from the distance as Bastila was speaking with the four Jedi Masters. Something in his insides twitched violently upon seeing the one face he truly hated. Vrook. But he had to pocket his own pride if he didn't want to blow up the cover. He could do as much as to tolerate the presence of the Bastila's master. At least for a while.

He watched, as the hologram projector went dead. Bastila went to the cockpit. Revan leaned against the wall.

He knew, what was about to happen. He would have to be very careful to hide from the Masters. At least from the Vrook. After all, he had to speak with Vandar. He was the only one, except Nomi Sunrider of course, who could understand him. Even if only a little.

He found himself following Bastila to the cockpit. Just as he reached it, the ship dropped out of the hyperspace. A green planet came into view with only one moon, circling it.

"Dantooine… it seems like a lifetime since I last set foot on her surface" Bastila said, noticing Revan coming in. "though in truth it has only been a few months. We should be safe from Malak here… for now, at least."

"Safe?!" Carth exclaimed with a surprised tone. "You saw what his fleet did to Taris: there wasn't a building over two stories high left standing! They… they turned the planet into one big pile of rubble" The Republic officer finished with an anger in his voice.

"Even the Sith would think twice before attacking Dantooine" Bastila replied. "There are many Jedi here, including few of the most powerful Masters of the Order. There is a great strength within this place."

"I think Carth has a point" Revan interjected. "We should keep moving. The amount of the Jedi Knights in here will only draw the Sith. Malak will destroy most of his enemies in a single strike."

"Nevertheless, we should rest here for a while," Bastila said, looking at the taller man. "We can find supplies here and recuperate. The Academy is a place of mental and spiritual healing: something we could all use after what we've been through. When we land, I must go to speak to the Council. I need their advice on… Recent developments" she added, using the same statement as Master Vrook. "After I have met with them, I will meet you outside the ship."

With that, the conversation was over, cause their ship began the landing procedure. Revan watched through the viewport the landscape of the planet. Dantooine was a beautiful place, the former Dark Lord had to admit it. The plains, that covered the planet, were peaceful and always brought a relief for everyone. It was there, where he and Bastila shared their first and the only kiss.

The Jedi Academy came in sight. In didn't remind the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. It was a simple enclave only one story high. It looked more like a small village than the place, where dozens of Padawans were taught.

"Prepare for landing" Carth announced, as he and Wolfie brought the ship to the landing port in the Academy. The ship was carefully landed. Around them were gathered dozens of different creatures. Twi'leks, Ithorians, Rodians, and Humans, of course. All of them moved away, as the ship was landing.

There was a small welcoming party, that waited outside. Revan recognized them immediately. It wasn't difficult. One of them was a person he hated the most. Second, one he respected the most. Their two companions were easy to recognize as well.

"You should stay inside the ship for now," Bastila said to him, as she walked to the loading ramp. "I'll speak with the Council and return for you" with that, she left the ship, not waiting for the reply.

"Sure," Revan said, looking at her back. "Take your time."

He sighed when she was gone. He truly didn't want to be in this place. First reason: it brought many memories, and second: he had to hold back himself from killing Master Vrook. For now, at least.

He returned to the cockpit. He passed Wolfie on his way there. They didn't exchange any words – none were necessary. Revan came to the computer terminal. It was good to find out something about the ship they used.

It wasn't difficult. The terminal didn't have any securities. Revan found its records in the database. The Ebon Hawk was its name. From what the database said, it was one of the fastest ships in the Galaxy. Only the Sith fighters were faster. He checked the Galaxy map in the ship's records.

There were all systems. Almost. As he expected, Rakata Prime system wasn't there. But everything else he needed was contained in the database. Kashyyyk, Tatooine, Manaan, Korriban, Nar Shadda, they all were there. At least he had a functioning Galaxy map.

First, he had to recover some of his Credits, that he possessed as the Dark Lord. Even if it was dangerous, he had to use his bank accounts. It's a lot easier to gain power with money in your pocket.

He had to also take the records of the Star Maps. It will be long, that was sure. But Revan held big amounts of patience. He could do as much as to find them again.

"What is it, Alen?" Carth's voice brought him out of his thoughts. Revan looked up at the Republic officer.

"Nothing" he replied. "I'm just thinking of what to do next."

"What do you mean?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The war I mean" Revan replied. "As the soldiers, I'm thinking about our possibilities. Of what we should do with the Sith."

Carth seemed to be pleased with the answer. Revan almost smirked. He didn't lie that much. In fact, he told the truth to the Republic officer. He watched the older man for a while.

Carth seemed to be… distant. His eyes were unseeing. He was thinking over something, deeply. And these weren't pleasure thoughts, Revan stated.

"Is it a good moment to find out something more about you, Carth?" he asked. Perhaps he could help the man. He could be useful in the future.

"What do you want to know?" he replied with a question.

"Tell me something more about your past, Carth," Revan said. "Like about Telos, if you don't mind" he added. Carth visibly stiffened at that.

"And what is it about to be said, huh?" he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "It was destroyed, I've told you that already. It was bombarded, just as Taris. I've… I've lost my wife there. And my son" he added with a sad expression. "I remember holding my dying wife in my arms. She died after she has managed to tell me to take care of Dustil – our son. But I've failed at that. I have never managed to find his body, though I looked for him many times" he said, wiping his face. A small tear has managed to run down his cheek. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm in no mood for talks right now" he added and walked to leave the cockpit. Revan nodded in response.

He sighed heavily and stood up. He left cockpit as well, walking into the common quarters. Canderous, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were there. They kept themselves busy with cleaning their weapons, but looked up at Revan, as he entered the room they were in.

"We have to be careful now," the former Dark Lord said, walking further into the room. "As for now, you are the only ones who know my true identity. And I'd rather keep it that way. So, for the time being, I'm Alen Royce. Whoever blows up my cover is going to have a lightsaber deep in his arse, understood?" he asked, looking at them, waiting for the response. The four men shrugged a little at the image of having a Jedi weapon in their… bodies. But nevertheless, they nodded.

"Second:" he continued. "The Jedi in here can sense many things, thoughts as well. So be careful with what you think, understood?" he asked and again, he received a collective nod as the response.

"And third: remain friendly here," he said, looking at them. "They are not our enemies, but our hosts. So, dare to kill anyone and I'll make you curse the day, you were born, you get it?" he asked. Once again, the four men nodded in response.

"Good" Revan summed up. "Now, get out of that ship! We've been rotting in here for a long time enough" he ordered. The four men, again, said nothing. They only stood up and walked to the exit of the ship.

"Mission?" Revan said, walking into the room, where she was all the time. "We've landed. Perhaps you want to walk outside to stretch your limbs?" he suggested. The blue Twi'lek again didn't respond in any way. She just kept sitting motionless. Revan let out a resigned sigh and decided to leave.

He walked out the loading ramp. Immediately, he was assaulted with the warm, fresh air, that smelled of grass and rain. It was a normal smell, that was present on Dantooine all the time. The same one, that caused this place to be so relaxing.

The second thing, that came to Revan's senses, were dozens of sounds. The Common speech, as well as specific alien dialogues. It was a sound of a settlement that was vibrant. It also was able to soothe someone, in its own way. Revan looked around.

The Academy didn't change much since the last time he was here, and that was over four years ago. In front of them was a corridor, that led further into the Enclave. As he recalled, it led to a small crossroad with a tree growing in a small rounded platform. From there, were the ways out of the Enclave and to the Council chambers. As well, as to the living quarters.

In right of him was a small space, that was destined for the merchants. Mostly the Twi'leks.

On the left side was a simple storage. It contained different things. From what Revan remembered after breaking in there with Malak in their younger years, this place contained speeder bikes, some old lightsabers, robes and all other useless stuff.

He looked up only to see Bastila coming in their direction.

"I thought, I've told you to stay on the ship?" she asked. Raising an eyebrow and putting her hands on her hips. She looked adorable in that position, Revan stated.

"Yes, you did" he replied, rolling his eyes. "But come on. Am I trapped in here? If yes, then just tell me that right away. I just walked out to stretch my limbs and to breathe some fresh air" he reasoned. Bastila relaxed at that a little, her expression lightened visibly.

"I have spoken briefly with the Council; they request an audience with you" she replied. "We should go at once."

"An audience with the Jedi Council?" Carth, who also walked out of the Ebon Hawk, asked. "That's pretty unusual for someone who isn't even a Jedi. What's this about, Bastila?" he asked, wanting an answer. Revan smirked slightly. The mighty Council wanted to speak with him. _Intriguing,_ he thought.

"I'm sorry, Carth, but I cannot tell you" Bastila replied, looking apologetically at the Republic officer. "All I ask is that you trust in the Force and the wisdom of the Council" she added. Revan almost laughed his guts out. He had to turn it into a cough but kept smiling at what Bastila has said. Thankfully, she hadn't noticed that.

"Well, I don't like being left out of the loop, but I'm not looking to get you in any trouble with the Jedi Master" the man replied, slightly disappointed. "We'll do things your way. For a while" he added.

"Good," Bastila said and turned to face Revan. "Come, they are expecting us. I will lead you to the Council chambers" she said and turned around on her heel to leave. Revan followed her closely behind. He had no intention to meet with a certain person there, but then, he rethought that. Perhaps now, as the Alen Royce, he could mock that old fool a bit? He smiled at that thought.

He followed Bastila and find himself at a crossroads. As he expected, there was a large tree, growing inside of the Academy. He smiled at the sight. This brought back some good memories of his childhood. He recalled seeing Alek hanging from the tree. He was laughing hard at that, though the Masters didn't appreciate that. As always, they lacked the sense of humor.

Revan followed Bastila, as she turned left before the tree. After walking through a small corridor, the former Dark Lord found himself in a round room with dozens of chairs, standing next to the wall. It was a Council chamber.

He saw one after the other: Master Dorak, Master Vandar, Master Vrook and Master Zhar. He pocketed his pride and walked into the circle, where the Jedi were standing.

"Ah, so you are the one who rescued Bastila" Zhar Lestin – a purple Twi'lek greeted him, upon seeing him enter the chamber. "It is appropriate you are here. We have been discussing your rather special case. I am Zhar, a member of the Jedi Council" he introduced himself. Revan only nodded. "With me are Master Vrook" he introduced his companions. "Master Vandar and, of course, the Chronicler of our Academy, Master Dorak. Padawan Bastila I am sure you are already familiar with."

Revan was annoyed, though he tried to not show it.

"What do you want from me?" he asked rather bluntly. He noticed the Masters twitch a little at that, especially Mater Vrook.

"Bastila tells us you are strong in the Force. We are considering you for a Jedi training." Zhar replied. Revan only raised his eyebrows at that.

"Nothing would give me greater honor than learning the ways of the Jedi" he replied with a mocking tone. Revan noticed with a corner of his eye Vrook clenching his teeth a little. He had to fight back a laugh, that threatened to escape his mouth.

"Master Zhar speaks out of turn, perhaps" Bastila's master interjected. "We need indisputable proof of your strong affinity to the Force before we would even consider accepting you for training," he said with an angry tone.

"Proof?" Bastila asked surprised. "Surely the entire Council can feel the strength of the Force within this man… and I have already relented to you the events, that took place on Taris…" she said, but was cut off by Vrook.

"Perhaps it was a simple luck" he suggested, but Master Zhar was quick to respond.

"We both know, that there is no luck. There is only the Force. We all feel the power in Bastila's companion, though it is wild and untamed" the Twi'lek said. Revan almost flinched at that. Who was here the wild and untamed one? "Now that this power has begun to manifest itself, can we safely ignore it?" he added.

"The Jedi training is long and difficult" Vrook kept grumbling. "Even when working with a young and open mind. Teaching a child is hard. How much harder will it be for an adult to learn the ways of the Jedi?" he asked the rhetorical question.

"I'm willing to do my best" Revan interjected with a fake respect.

"Traditionally, the Jedi do not accept adults for the training, though there are rare exceptions in the history of our Order" Master Dorak spoke. "But you are a special case."

"I agree with Master Dorak" Vandar interjected. "Many of our own pupils are leaving the Jedi Order to follow the Sith teachings, we need recruits to stand against Malak! With Revan dead…" whatever he intended to say, it wasn't given to him, cause Vrook cut him off.

"Are you certain, that Revan is truly dead?" he spat with anger. _Easy there, Master Vrook. The anger leads to the Dark Side,_ Revan lectured him in his thoughts. "What if we undertake to train this one, and the Dark Lord should return?" he asked. The said man frowned a little. _He knows something,_ he thought. He had to be extra careful.

"We should discuss this matter more fully in private" Vandar replied with the same peaceful tone, he always used. "Bastila, you and your companion must go. This is a matter for the Council alone" he said, looking at them.

"As you wish, Master Vandar" Bastila replied, bowing deeply. "We shall return to the Ebon Hawk and leave you to your deliberations" with that, they left the Council chambers.

They walked in silence. Revan had nothing to say. He kept thinking of what has just happened. Vrook suspected something, that was sure. Perhaps, he will be forced to remove this old fool from his way. But only perhaps. Vandar was more sympathetic towards Revan, or Alen, as well as was Master Zhar. Perhaps these two would be able to help him? Dorak remained a mystery for him. In his younger years, he never understood the Chronicler, and he didn't accomplish to do so even now. But he didn't bother. At least, he wasn't hostile towards him. That was surely enough for Revan.

They also considered him for a Jedi training. With all the respect, they were fools. It would allow him to use the Force freely. He smiled at that. More, than he could ask for.

He returned to the Ebon Hawk. Its crew was already inside, as it was dark outside. He walked up the loading ramp, following Bastila, and headed towards his quarters.

He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. The next day would be very active, he stated and drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

* * *

 **Okay, here we arrived at Dantooine. As always, let me know what you think of this chapter and this story, by leaving a comment, adding it to your favorites and following it, to not miss any updates. Thanks to all those, who support me, and I hope that my story is worth your time XD see you in the next chapter!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Here comes another one. As always, I ask for reviews, favorites, and follows. And I hope that you enjoy this story. Have a nice read.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 20

 _Revan was in some sort of vision. Or a memory. Yes, it was a better term for what was happening around him. He found himself in some sort of tomb. The architecture was ancient, that's all, that he could state. Revan quickly recognized this place. These were the ruins, that were placed here, somewhere in the plains of Dantooine. He was watching from a distance himself and Malak. The imagination of him was wearing a regular, black Jedi Knight robes and his recognizable mask. His younger self was pacing back and forth in front of the doors, while Malak stood motionlessly. His former best friend had his battle suit on. He also had his jaw and not a metallic prosthesis._

" _The Dark Side is strong in this place" Malak stated. His voice was quiet, as in fear of the ancient ruins, they were in. "I can feel its power!" he exclaimed, clenching his fists in a victorious pose. Revan watched, as his younger self came to the sealed doors, and started to open them with the Force._

" _Is this wise? The ancient Jedi sealed this archway" Malak reasoned, trying to defeat the Dark Side, that was claiming him, only to fail miserably. "If we pass beyond these doors, we can never go back. The Order will surely banish us" he added, shaking his head. But Revan ignored him, as the doors began to give away._

 _"Are the secrets of the Star Forge so valuable?" Malak tried again to reason his friend, but again, it fell on deaf ears. "Can its power truly be worth the risk" the bold man seemed to be conflicted inside, but that didn't stop him from following Revan further into the ruins. They walked in silence to a stone monument, that opened itself. Inside was a map of the Galaxy, though it was incomplete. It contained Dantooine and few systems surrounding it. One of those systems was Kashyyyk, where the second Star Map was. Revan watched as his younger self and Malak walked to the ancient device. Then, the vision started to fade away._

* * *

Revan woke up with a groan. He didn't like to come back from sleep, and certainly not when he had no possibility to drink a cup of coffee. Despite the lack of window in his quarters, he knew, that the sun was already up on this side of Dantooine. He wiped his face in order to drive out sleepiness from him for good.

Revan lifted himself up into a sitting position. He supported himself with his hands. He blinked few times, but it didn't bring any results. He still would prefer to sleep for another three hours. Or even six, but that was a luxury, that wasn't destined for him. Sleep was for those, who had no purpose in life, or nothing to accomplish. And Revan certainly wasn't one of these people.

He wiped his face again. This time, the consciousness started to come back to him. Just as he has fully woken up, Carth came into his quarters.

"Good to see you awake," he said, leaning against the door frame. "Bastila wanted me to tell you, that you're supposed to meet her and the Council in the chambers" Carth announced. He eyed the younger man for a moment.

"This morning's getting stranger by the minute," he said after a while of silence. "First Bastila comes out looking like she saw a ghost, and you look pretty much the same."

Revan watched the man without any understanding.

"I guess, that I just hate waking up" he replied, wiping his face once again. "Did Bastila say anything else?" he asked.

"No, she didn't" Carth answered. "She didn't seem well, as I recall… and for that matter neither do you. Are you alright?" he asked with a concern in his voice.

"I had a rough night… let's go" Revan replied, giving Carth a clear message, that the conversation was over. The Republic officer said nothing in response. He only turned around and left the younger man's quarters.

He stood up and put his shirt on. He used the same white one, that he purchased back on Taris. He also put on the gray jacket, that made his appearance similar to the one of a smuggler. He slept in his brown trousers, so, after half a minute, he was prepared to walk out of the Ebon Hawk.

When Revan walked down the loading ramp, he had to cover his eyes from the sun, that was high above in the sky. It shone through the opened roof of the landing platform of the Jedi Academy. The bright rays were lighting the inhabitants of the Enclave, as every one of them was making his way to his own business. Revan followed their lead and headed towards the Council chambers. He wondered if the Jedi decided to take him for a training once more. If yes, then they couldn't make it any easier for him. He would be allowed to use the Force freely once again, and that was something he was looking up to.

He thought if Vrook hadn't died by accident due to the heart attack. The previous day, the old man's face was changing colors from dead pale to red, to livid. Revan smiled at that. Perhaps the Council's decision would spare him dealing with that fool? He would gladly comply to such turn of events. He would even thank them on his knees.

He passed the tree and entered the Council chambers. Unfortunately, Vrook was standing there, safe and sound. Though he did have a displeased expression. Revan smiled slightly again. Perhaps as Alen, he will be able to annoy that old fool and mock him, just as he used to do, as a Padawan.

The Jedi Masters haven't noticed him at first. They were discussing something of a great matter, if the way, they gesticulated was any indicator to that. Vrook, apparently, was most displeased at the result of their conversation. Revan fought back an urge to use his Bond with Bastila to get information. Sooner or later, he would know, what they were talking about.

He walked further into the chambers. He was noticed when he walked under the lights of the lamps, that were hanging from the roof. The first one to see him was Master Vandar.

"Bastila has told us of a most unusual development," the low Jedi said to the former Dark Lord. "She claims you and she have shared a dream, a vision of Malak and Revan in the ancient ruins here on Dantooine" he finished.

"These ruins have long been known to us" Master Dorak spoke. "But we believed them to be merely burial mounds. Perhaps they are more than we first suspected if Revan and Malak found something there."

"Yes… they seemed to be searching for something" Revan replied. There was no point in telling otherwise. Perhaps the Masters would send him to investigate these ruins? He chuckled in spirit at that. They really made things easier for him.

"Bastila has described this shared dream to the Council in great detail" again it was Master Vandar who spoke. "We feel it is more than a dream. It is a vision. The Force is acting through you as it acts through Bastila."

"What do you mean?" Revan asked, deciding to play his role.

"You and Bastila share a powerful connection to the Force… and each other" Master Zhar cared to explain. "This is not unheard of. Connections often form between master and student, but rarely does a bond develop so quickly."

"Whatever danger may lay ahead, we cannot ignore the destiny that has brought you and Bastila here to us. Together" Vandar spoke. Revan blinked few times to make sure he heard well. Has the Council given him permission for being with Bastila?

"Are you saying I'm… joined with her?" he asked, bringing up his surprised expression. It seemed to work for the Masters.

"You and she are linked, as is your fate to hers. Together, you two may be able to stop Darth Malak and the Sith" Vandar explained, though this time he was interrupted by Vrook.

"But do not let your head be filled with the visions of glory and power!" he exclaimed. Revan didn't expect to hear that from the old man. "Such thoughts are the path to the Dark Side," he said. _Ah yes, always the one to lecture everyone around,_ the former Dark Lord thought. "The way of the light is long and difficult, as you must learn. Are you ready for such hardship?" he asked him. It took a moment for Revan to realize, that Vrook was waiting for an answer.

"Of course, Master. I seek to follow the light" Revan mocked and gave a deep bow. He had a small grin on his face, but the smile escaped his lips, as he straightened himself. The three Masters were emotionless for his little show-off, though Vrook looked like he was about to launch himself at the man in front of him and choke him to his death. His fists and teeth were clenched and his face was of an unnatural red color.

"Understand that there is little choice in this matter, for you or us" Vandar spoke, looking up in order to find the younger man's eyes with his own. "Across the Galaxy, the numbers of our Order dwindle. We have sent many Jedi in quest of a way to thwart Malak's advance… many have not returned. The Sith hunt the Jedi down like animals, ambushing and assassinating our brothers wherever they are found. We fear it is only a matter of time until they attack even this hidden refuge."

"Other Jedi have fallen from the Light and embraced the Dark Side, giving their allegiance to the Sith and Malak, their Dark Lord" Vrook interjected. Revan fought an urge to answer back, that he was the rightful Dark Lord. Malak was only a fool and a coward. But, thankfully, he held his tongue back.

"Do not fear Masters, I will not fall" he replied instead. It was partially true. He wouldn't fall to the Dark Side. He would only reclaim his mantle of the Dark Lord and his control over the Star Forge. So, technically, he wouldn't fall.

"The lure of the Dark Side is not easy to resist" Vrook continued, ignoring Revan's comment. "Malak's power grows as more and more planets fall to his conquering armies."

"If Malak is not stopped" Zhar interjected. "the Republic will fall, and the Jedi will be hunted to extinction. The Galaxy will enter a time of darkness and tyranny not seen for a thousand generations."

Revan eyed the purple Twi'lek for a moment. Malak was a fool, not a threat. The true threat was waiting in the Unknown Regions. If Revan doesn't stop Vitiate, the Galaxy will burn.

"The Council has decreed that you and Bastila must investigate the ancient ruins you dreamed of… once the Council deems you ready" Master Vandar said. Revan almost felt offended. They were in no position to judge if he was ready or not. He was like hell.

"Perhaps there you will find some clue, some explanation, of how Revan and Malak were corrupted. And perhaps there you shall find a way to stop the Sith" Dorak added.

"Of course, Master. Anything to further the light" Revan said in the same mocking tone, that went on deaf ears of everyone, except Vrook. And again, he was the one to comment.

"The Force flows through you like no other student we have ever seen. But you are willful and headstrong… a dangerous combination" the old man said. Revan almost grinned. _You have no idea how dangerous, Master, you have no idea,_ he thought, smiling in his mind.

"Before we send you to investigate the ruins, you must be trained in the ways of the Jedi so that you can resist the darkness within yourself… within all of us. Otherwise, you are doomed to fail" Master Vandar said.

"I surrender myself to the will of the Council" Revan mocked again, placing his hand above his heart. Then, an idea struck his mind. "Under one condition" he added, looking at the Masters. They had a surprised expression and waited for him to continue. "Spare me the lecturing of that old man," he said, pointing at Vrook. The said man reddened furiously, while other Masters still had a surprised expression. Only Master Zhar snorted slightly at that.

"We must begin your training at once," the purple Twi'lek said, after he made sure, that his voice won't fail him. "You have a destiny upon you that must be prepared to face. The entire fate of the Galaxy is upon you."

"I can only hope you will prove up to the task," Master Vrook said with an angry expression. Revan smirked at that. He really enjoyed seeing the man infuriated.

* * *

Revan collapsed on the bed. He and his companions received the living quarters in the Enclave, so they didn't have to sleep in the Ebon Hawk anymore. The former Dark Lord smiled at the blindness of the Masters. He received his old quarters, where he used to live, as a Padawan.

It was a long day. His training began immediately after the audience with the Council. He was being lectured again about the Jedi ways, the Code and all that extremely boring stuff, that haunted him in nights, during his time as the Padawan. Fortunately, Vrook wasn't teaching him. He muttered quiet thanks to the Force for that. He would, sooner or later, commit a suicide, if that old man lectured him. But thankfully, he did not.

Revan wiped his face. He was tired, but one thought kept bothering him. He was able to fulfill his plan alone, but still, he needed the advice of one of the Masters, that was here on Dantooine. Vandar would understand him. He always did.

With that in his mind, he forced himself up from the bed. He didn't take any weapons with him. None were necessary. He put on the Jedi robes, that he received. Thankfully, the Masters didn't protest on his pick of colors. The dark robes were certainly his favorite.

Revan walked out of the living quarters, wrapping his robe tighter around himself in order to protect himself from the cold night wind, that was blowing through the opened roof, where the tree was growing.

The former Dark Lord found who he was looking for. The small Jedi Master was walking alongside the platform in which the tree grew. Revan came closer to Vandar Tokare. The small green alien wasn't facing the young man, though he sensed him.

"What is it that you want, student?" he asked, turning himself towards the young man.

"Be careful not to get winnowed, Master," Revan said with a small smile. "I… I wanted to speak with you, Master," he said quietly. Vandar eyed the younger man for a moment, before making a slight nod.

"I don't think, that this is a good place for it, student" he replied. "Come to my chambers. There, we shall talk" he added, passing the younger man by and heading towards the Council chambers. Revan followed him closely behind.

They walked in silence all the way. From the Council chambers, there was a passage to the Masters' personal living quarters. Everyone one of them had a separate room, so there was no danger, that someone could be eavesdropping.

"So what do you want to talk about, student?" Vandar asked after he sat on a small chair, gesturing to Revan to do the same. The younger man complied. He began to sweat lightly, though he didn't know why. He wiped his face in order to get rid of the annoying liquid, that was coming from his skin.

"Calm yourself, young one. There is nothing you should be afraid of" Vandar spoke, trying to sooth Revan. In some way, it worked.

"I… I don't know where to start, Master" he muttered, looking down on the floor. He didn't understand the reactions of his body. What was he afraid of? Of a small Jedi? Of telling the truth? Of sharing his secret? He did not know. But he was nervous, and he was trembling.

"I suggest you begin from the beginning, student" Vandar encouraged him with a small smile. Revan chuckled slightly at that. Yeah, it would be a good beginning. The old Jedi Master always knew how to say a good word. This is why the former Dark Lord respected him so much.

"Well, in the beginning, let's say, that I'm not a student" he started. Vandar frowned at that. "Not anymore, at least. I'm a… I'm a Jedi Knight. Or I used to be. Yeah, this would be a better term."

"What do you mean, young one?" the Jedi Master asked intrigued and with a concern in his eyes.

"I'm not the person Bastila introduced to you. I'm not Alen Royce. I'm… I'm Revan" he muttered. At that Vandar's eyes widened in shock and surprised. But he didn't do anything beyond that.

"Are you here for revenge then, Revan?" he asked quietly. The younger man stared at him in shock, not understanding the old Jedi Master. "I've helped to erase your identity, after all" he clarified.

"No, Master" he replied with a small chuckle. "I'm here, cause I need your advice" he added. That caused Vandar to open his eyes even further if that was even possible. After a moment, he regained his posture.

"A Dark Lord of the Sith asking for a guidance a Jedi Master? That's unheard of" he replied, smiling slightly. Revan, encouraged by Vandar, chuckled slightly. Fortunately, the old Jedi Master wasn't making it any more difficult for him, than it was already.

"Yeah, I know" he replied with a small smile dancing across his lips. "There is one thing, that I've said back on Coruscant, in the Council chambers. About the True Sith" he added, looking at the old Jedi Master.

"Ah, I recall that" Vandar replied. "We've discussed what you have said after your trial was over. But we came with no solution to what you have announced. What is it, that you need to know?"

"I have met them, deep in the Unknown Regions" Revan began. The images from before two years stood before his eyes. The planet of Dromund Kaas was as fresh in his mind, as he was there one day ago. "They haven't extinct after the Great Hyperspace War, as the Council claimed. They've hidden and waited for a good moment to attack the Republic, to have their revenge. As you've said, there was something behind the Mandalorians. They were forced into this war by the Sith, that waited in the Unknown Regions. They were planning to weaken the Republic, so later they could conquer it on their own."

"They haven't expected, that I will stand up against the Mandalorians, defying the Council. After the Malachor V, I have found them on a far world, deep in the Unknown Regions. I and Malak tried to fight against the one, who called himself the Emperor, only to fail miserably. It's pointless to say, that he defeated us without so much as twitching his fingers. We were broken. We laid under his feet, prepared to die. But he refused to bring the death upon us. I wonder if it would be better if he killed us that day. Instead, he sent us to find the Star Forge. That's why we were in the ruins here on Dantooine. It contains a map, that leads there."

"Nevertheless, we have found the Star Forge. At that point, I have managed to free myself from the Emperor's influence. That was then when I contacted you. I don't know why I have done that. After all that the Council has denied us during the Mandalorian wars, it was a miracle, that I was still willing to talk to you. But nevertheless, I have contacted you. I've told Atris and Vrook about what I have found in the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy. In turn, they have announced, that I've betrayed the Jedi Order and that since then, I was a Dark Lord of the Sith."

"That was what caused me to invade the Republic. In that moment, I was driven by hatred and anger. I felt betrayed. I turned to the Council seeking help, and I've received a rejection. My war against the Republic was also dictated by something else, though. After I have managed to free myself from the Emperor's influence, I decided to stand against him. I wanted to defeat him and to save the Galaxy. Not for glory or anything like that. I've seen what he was capable of. And I wanted to defend those, I swore to protect from that fate. But in order to do that, I had to make the Republic and the Jedi Order stand back and allow me to act on my own. I knew, that I wouldn't be listened to if I tried to reason with you. You would turn your back against me. So I had to do what I've done for the greater good."

"I know, that you are not convinced by what I have said. I don't want to justify my deeds. I will understand if you decide to ignore what I've told you, but I need your guidance, Master. Of all the Jedi Order, you and Master Nomi Sunrider are the only ones, who are able to help me. Maybe Master Zhar can as well, but I don't want to share it with many persons. If less knows of that, it will be better."

"What is it, that you want to know then, Revan?" Vandar asked. He was impressed, he had to admit. He didn't consider, that the former Dark Lord would come to him and started confessing his deeds to him. Until now, he remained silent.

"I know what I have to do to stop the threat from the True Sith, Master Vandar" Revan said. Now he was a little relaxed, after sharing his life with the small Jedi. "But I need you to help me accomplish that."

"And what is that, Revan?" Vandar asked intrigued. He didn't see the man in front of him as a threat. Not after what he has just said to him. And if he was capable of that, he would help him. Revan has truly impressed him when he came to him. He was willing to help, as much as he could.

* * *

"In all my years I have never seen one who has mastered the initial training so quickly," Master Zhar said to Revan. They were standing next to the tree on the crossroads. "You have done in weeks what many cannot do in years. I am honored to welcome you fully into the Jedi Order" the Twi'lek said, shaking Revan's hand. The man returned the gesture and smiled. Things were now a lot easier for him.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, share it with me. You know ho,so I won't be telling it. If you have any propositions of what should I change, then write it in the comments as well. As for now, see you in the next chapter!**


	22. Chapter 21

**I hope you enjoy my story, and if you do then let me know about it. Also, I wish you a nice read.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 21

Master Vandar was sitting in his private chambers. As usual, he was meditating. He was sitting with legs crossed and his palms resting on his knees. His eyes remained closed. He was breathing in and out slowly, while his mind was pacing back and forth amongst different thoughts.

A month has passed since Revan has told him that he still was himself, despite the Council's efforts on erasing his identity. First Master Vandar was shocked. He didn't sense that. Then, the shock was replaced with fear. Revan was powerful, despite his young age. He could easily stand against the small Jedi Master and best him in combat. But he didn't expect what was about to happen next.

When Revan was being judged by the High Council, Vandar for a second hasn't thought about the possibility of hearing the young man confessing to him. But it did happen and the old Jedi Master was torn apart between what Revan has said and his duty to the Council. He found it difficult to follow the Council teachings and to accept what the young man told him at the same time.

But nevertheless, he listened to Revan. And he was amazed at what he heard. Through many years, Vandar was sure that Revan has fallen to the Dark Side because of the terror of the Mandalorian wars. He didn't consider a possibility of the True Sith laying there in the Unknown Regions. But he didn't find lie in what the young man has said. It was his body language that showed, that he was telling the truth. The way he stumbled upon every second word, how he looked down in shame, after confessing all the bad things he committed in his life. It was certainly speaking in his defense. And what surprised Vandar even more, was that he didn't sense the Dark Side in Revan. He didn't sense it even during his trial.

This caused him to believe the young man. Now he more resembled the young Padawan, who was seeking knowledge everywhere he could, and used to crack jokes and do pranks all the time in the Academy, than the Dark Lord, who conquered half of the Republic. If there was evil in Revan, Vandar didn't see it.

His thoughts drifted to the information he got. Apparently, the Sith have survived the Great Hyperspace War. After thinking about this news, he realized that it was true. The Jedi High Council has sensed something in the Unknown Regions of the Galaxy, but any deliberations on this threat were never undertaken. The Jedi Masters stopped only on realizing that there was something out there, something greater than the Mandalorians. And it was Revan, who found this threat. And because of the pride of the Jedi Council, Revan received no help in fighting the True Sith.

Vandar was always the one to question the Council's decisions. Though he never said that out loud. He preferred to contemplate on rightfulness of the Masters' conclusions. Now he realized, that it was a mistake. And he was looking forward to repairing these mistakes of his.

This what Revan has intended was difficult. Vandar found out the younger man's intentions and, he had to admit it, they caused in him an inner conflict. If Revan's destiny truly was to defeat the True Sith in the Unknown Regions, as he claimed, he had to regain control over the Star Forger and his Empire. This alone was something that would cause everyone in the Galaxy to tremble in fear. The inhabitants of the Republic lived in a constant fear of their lives when Revan was in charge of the Sith Empire. But it was Malak, who was more dangerous of the two Dark Lords. So, of two evils, Revan seemed to be the lesser one.

Vandar opened his eyes and stood up from his chair. He would discuss it with Master Sunrider later. Revan said, that he didn't mind if Nomi knew about that. He would even be pleased if the female member of the Jedi Council shared her thoughts about Revan's plan. But Vandar had to leave it for later.

In mere minutes, he was about to meet with the said Revan. The previous day, the man has managed to complete the Jedi training. Master Zhar faked to be surprised at how fast his progress was, while Master Vrook remained hostile towards the idea of retraining Revan. He thought it was a mistake, but the other members of the Council have agreed, that it was a good decision after all. Master Dorak was neutral about Revan's retraining in the Jedi way. He agreed with the will of the most, that is Master Vandar and Master Zhar.

The Jedi Council was supposed to send Revan on finding out about what was happening at the Grove here, in the plains of Dantooine. Masters have decided that it would be a good test for Revan. This mission would show if he is able to resist the temptation of the Dark Side. Vandar was sure of it, but Vrook still needed to be convinced. So, the decision was made. Before they allow Revan to investigate the ancient ruins, he had to prove himself worthy of that task.

* * *

"What do you mean, that he can remember?!" a holoprojection ofAtris exclaimed with anger. She had her regular infuriated expression. The Jedi Grandmaster was wearing the same white robes, that she wore all the time. Her hands were crossed on her chest, as she was staring back at the projection of her friend and a fellow Jedi Master – Vrook Lamar.

"I mean, that it is possible that Revan regained his identity," he said, repeating what he told Atris just a few seconds ago. He also had his arms crossed on his chest. His brows were furrowed and there were wrinkles on his face. "The Force has revealed in him. Master Vandar and Master Zhar persisted on retraining him in the Jedi ways. It took him a month to accomplish the basic training. He is a Padawan once again" he finished.

"You did WHAT?!" Atris shout out. "How dare you to do that without contacting the Council first?" she asked with infuriated tone. If the holoprojection wasn't white-blue, Vrook would be able to swear, that he saw golden sparks in his friend's eyes.

"It wasn't my idea," Vrook said in a self-defense. "I was against that, but no one shared my point of view. I'm afraid, that retraining Alen caused Revan to return. Or at least, his identity started to show up in glimpses. Bastila said, that she shared a dream with this man. One, where he and Malak investigated the ruins here on Dantooine" he finished. Atris furrowed her brows at that.

"Perhaps Revan is not returning," she said after a moment. "It's possible that our plan started to fulfill itself. But remain cautious, Vrook. Watch this man carefully. And if you notice something suspicious, you have a full permission from the High Council to slay him. We should have done that in the beginning" Atris said with a determination in her voice. With that, the holoprojector went dead.

Vrook turned away from the device and left his quarters. He walked towards the Council chambers where he was supposed to meet other Masters and Alen Royce.

* * *

Revan walked in the direction of the Council chambers. First time in a month he has managed to get enough sleep. Waking up wasn't any problem for him. He was meditating a lot before he went to rest. It brought him a relief and peace he didn't find for a long time.

The previous month was a busy one. He had to learn all these boring things, that he was learning through the fifteen years of his life. It was extremely boring. But it worth the time he spent on boring studies. He was allowed to use the Force feely again. Though he sensed, that Master Vrook had some unspoken objections to his retraining. Revan had no problems with it. If he could do something more just to annoy the old Jedi, he would do that without a second thought.

But studying again the basics of the Jedi Order was too boring for him. It was a miracle, that he didn't die out of boredom. Normally, he had no troubles with taking new knowledge from any source available. But not what he learned as a small child.

Yet finally, his training was completed. Officially he was a Jedi Padawan once again. With it, and the help from Master Vandar, he was able to fulfill his plan. Thankfully, the small Jedi Master was willing to help him. It was risky at least, telling him the truth. But the old Jedi was patient and was able to listen what he had to say. It was something that remained unchanged in Master Vandar. And that was the reason why he respected him so much.

He walked in silence into the Council chambers. As he expected, all the Masters, as well as Bastila, were there already. They waited in silence for him to arrive.

"There you are, Padawan" Master Zhar greeted him with a small smile. Revan noticed, that Vrook only let out a huff at his arrival. "Are you ready to face the third trial?" the Twi'lek asked.

"Yes, Master, I'm ready," he said, trying to hide the boredom in his voice. He faced every trial over four years ago. It would be a childish play for him.

"For every Jedi, the threat of the Dark Side is always present" Zhar began what seemed to be a long lecture. "You must truly understand this before you will be sent on the quest to stop Darth Malak. You must see the corruption of the Dark side for yourself" he said. Revan fought an urge to laugh at that. He has seen it many times in his life, perhaps even more than all the Masters gathered here. "Even here on Dantooine, there are places where the Dark Side holds sway, twisting and tainting the nature itself. The Ancient Grove once used for deep meditations by the Jedi is now tainted, a wave of darkness perverts the region around it. The kath hounds in the area have become savage and ruthless. They have become a threat to the settlers, a threat the Jedi have promised to stop."

"What would you have me do, Master Zhar?" Revan asked.

"The kath hounds are but a symptom of the true problem" the purple Twi'lek replied. "You must journey into the Grove and confront the true source of the darkness. That is your task" he finished, straightening himself.

"You know more than you're telling me," Revan said, eyeing the Jedi Master in front of him.

"I can say no more; some things you must see for yourself" he replied. „None of the other Jedi at the Academy are permitted to help you in this task. But remember this, my young apprentice: a Jedi acts with patience and care, and those on the dark path are not always lost forever. The Dark Side still taints the Ancient Grove. Your lessons cannot continue until the spreading corruption of the Dark Side has been stopped. This is your task, apprentice. May the Force be with you" he finished, giving Revan a clear message, that the conversation was over.

The former Dark Lord was a little disappointed. Was that it? Did he come here only to get a task of cleansing someplace in the plains of Dantooine? That was… humiliating, to say the least. But nevertheless, he complied.

Revan bowed slightly to the Masters and left the Council chambers. No Jedi could help him, but that didn't mean, that he couldn't take with himself his companions. He returned to the living quarters, where his followers were staying all the time.

Since their arrival, they were been taken care of. They received new clothes and were able to use the refresher as many times as they wanted. They all also got the best food, that was being served in the Enclave. Every one of them also received a personal room. To put it shortly: the crew of the Ebon Hawk was being spoiled during their time in the Jedi Academy.

Revan walked into the room, where Rex was living. He didn't bother to knock. He opened the doors with the Force only to find his most trusted Captain laying on his bed and watching a holoprojection of a half-naked Twi'lek dancer. The former Dark Lord watched in amusement, as his follower jumped from his bed and pointed his rifle at the man standing in the doorway. An embarrassment and anger were seen on his face. He relaxed after seeing who it was, who entered his quarters.

"Oh, that's you," Rex said, regaining his neutral pose. "You know, next time maybe knock before entering like that" he added with a slight blush.

"Yeah, of course," Revan replied with a mocking tone. "Cause you might be in a middle of a very important action, right?" he asked, barely maintaining laugh. Rex's face went an even deeper shade of red. Revan decided not to play with his Captain anymore. "Gather yourself and the others. You started to grow slack. It's time to move a little" he said, turning to leave.

Rex put down his blaster and turned off the holoprojector. After that, he left his quarters and headed towards the rooms of the rest of their little group. Quickly Fox, Wolfie, Canderous, Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar were gathered under the tree in the Enclave. Revan was waiting for them already.

"It's time to stretch your legs a little," he said to them and turned in the direction of the exit of the Enclave. His companions followed without saying anything. Revan walked to the doors, where a protocol droid was standing.

"The Council has decreed you may come and go as you please," the unit said and the doors opened themselves. Revan and his companions walked through them.

They found themselves in a Courtyard where the plains of Dantooine were easily visible. The barking of the kath hounds was hearable in the far. On the sky the giant rays were flying in every direction, casting shadows on the ground.

"Wow! This place is beautiful!" Mission exclaimed, breathing in the air in a loud breath. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of a warm air feeling her lungs.

"Yeah, it's true," Revan said emotionless. Now, seeing the plains of Dantooine brought up memories of he and Bastila sneaking out of the Enclave in late hours after the studies. It was… painful. Bastila was not far from here and yet, he couldn't go with her. He groaned a little in frustration. "Let's go," he said.

They haven't walked far until they were stopped by a settler.

"Are you, Jedi, going to finally do something with these Mandalorians?" a man in his late thirties asked, coming to Revan. The young man was taken aback by that.

"What do you mean?" he asked. The man in front of him was infuriated.

"You, the Jedi, keep sitting in this Enclave doing nothing, while Mandalorians are spreading themselves around the plains" the man answered, gesticulating with anger. "You promised to take care of them and yet, you have done nothing with that. You claim to protect us, while all you do is sitting safely in the Enclave."

"Easy there, settler," Revan said trying to sooth the man down. "Tell me everything from the beginning," he asked.

"Not longer than two weeks ago a bunch of Mandalorians scum has come to Dantooine" the man began. "At first they didn't cause any troubles, but recently they've started to attack everyone who was passing them by. They've… They've even killed my daughter. I see, by the way, you're dressed, that you are a Jedi. I demand that the Mandalorians are taken care of" he finished, crossing his arms over his chest. Revan let out a sigh.

"I'll see what I can do" he murmured. The man in front of him seemed to be surprised by that. His expression lightened visibly. He wasn't angry anymore. He was happy.

"Really? You'll do that?" he asked, not believing in what he has just heard.

"Yeah, I've just said that" Revan replied.

"Oh that's amazing" the man exclaimed. There were no traces of his previous tone.

Revan decided to just pass this man by. An idea was forming in his mind. If Mandalorians were here… but that was extremely risky. But most of his deeds were extremely risky, he realized after a moment.

"Where are we going, Alen?" Mission asked with her childish tone. She quickened her pace in order to come closer to Revan. He smirked at her.

"I'll be needing your help with something," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder and bringing her closer to him. "We'll have to split up. Mission. You, Carth and Zaalbar will follow me. There is something the Council wanted me to attend to. Canderous. You, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie will try to solve this Mandalorian problem, the settler told us about. See what you can do about that" he ordered. His companions nodded at that.

They've crossed a bridge, that was built over a small river. Revan let go everyone first until Canderous was about to walk through the small stone structure as well.

"Try to convince them to join me, Canderous. Then meet me in my quarters. Do not contact me through the communicator" he whispered. The Mandalorian gave a subtle nod. No more words were necessary. He understood what the younger man meant.

They've split up rather quickly. Those, who were supposed to take care of the Mandalorians, have asked around the locals about any traces of the warriors, while Revan and the rest headed towards where the Grove was. It was located south from here.

"Do you want to talk, Mission?" Revan asked, coming closer to the girl. She was staring at the ground. She raised her head up when she heard her name being spoken.

"Hmm? Sorry" Mission replied. "I've been thinking about Taris again," she said.

"And how are you dealing with it?" Revan asked with a concern in his voice.

"Well, I think I'm okay" she answered after a moment "I mean, I've already accepted, that it's… that it's gone. I was thinking about my childhood, you know? Back when I was still a child. I wasn't always alone. I used to have a brother before I met Big Z."

"What happened to him?" Revan asked. "Did he die?"

"No. I mean, I don't know exactly" she replied. "One day I've just fallen asleep and the next… he was gone. I've searched for him for a long time. I've been looking for him in many different places. It is possible to say, that I have visited a bigger amount of the Undercity. But it was pointless. I've found no trace of him."

"Do you have any idea of what could happen to him?"

"Well, he could be taken by the slavers, cause there was no trace of him or his girlfriend, and my species is commonly sold as slaves" she replied. "But I don't want to talk about it. At least not for now" she added, looking back down at the ground.

"Okay then," Revan said and put his hands in his pockets. They continued forward south through the plains. Not so high hills were surrounding them, also bringing memories to the former Dark Lord. His thoughts, once again, drifted to Bastila.

"We have a company" Carth's voice brought him out of his thoughts. He looked up only to notice a pack of kath hounds running straightly at them. The Republic officer drew his blaster pistols and aimed them at the mad animals. Mission and Zaalbar did the same, while Revan ignited his lightsabers. He chose the path of a Jedi Guardian, as he did years ago. He has made his own blue lightsaber, though he kept using those, he found on the Endar Spire. Somehow, he grew used to them.

The kath hounds have come closer and closer, despite Carth's best efforts in slowing them down. There was simply too many of them. Revan waited patiently for them to get close enough. The first one, that led the pack, launched himself at the man, probably being pulled by the light of his weapon. With no effort, the former Dark Lord stroke it down, sending it back a good few meters, only to be quickly replaced by another.

Revan and his companions kept on killing the kath hounds, and they kept coming. From every direction, a new pack of mad animals showed themselves, advancing at the small group. Soon, they were all covered in sweat, maybe except Zaalbar. It was a miracle, that they came out of this unharmed.

"Where… where have they came from?" Mission panted, dropping her blaster and putting her hand on her knees. She was breathing heavily and her blue skin was shining from sweat.

"This is partially my mission" Revan replied, also panting. "I'm supposed to find out what has made them so mad and to take care of it. Let's go. We have no time to waste" he announced and started to head south once again.

It took them some time to get to the Grove, cause they were often stopped by the kath hounds. Smaller or bigger packs, they have managed to cut the animals down, though still, the new ones were coming.

Soon, they've found themselves in front of a large stone structure. A woman was kneeling in the middle of it. She was a Cathar, from what Revan has seen. She had a form-fitting robe that was of a grey-blue and an orange color. She had a ponytail, that stood out from her head. It was a single wisp, that was being held by a rubber. Revan could sense hatred and anger coming out from her, though it was directed at herself. Around her were laying few bodies dressed in the Mandalorian armor.

The woman stood up when she sensed the intruders. She had gold eyes, but not those of the Dark Side – they were more cat-like. She came to the group of four and used the Force to put them in stasis. Revan resisted it, though his companions did not. They were standing frozen in place.

"I will be your doom!" the Cathar woman exclaimed, igniting her lightsaber. Unsurprisingly, it was one of a red color.

She advanced on Revan. The man in response ignited his own lightsabers. He crossed them in front of him and blocked a powerful blow, that came from the Cathar woman. He didn't expect such strength, that was behind the strike.

Revan blocked her another blow with one of his own lightsaber. The strike was pointed into his hip. If it met its original target, he would end up cut in half. Revan blocked easily that blow, but it was followed by another, that was directed at his midsection. He deflected it with his own strike. It caught the Cathar woman off guard.

She stumbled back as the strength of Revan's blow met her own. The former Dark Lord quickly went from the defense to an offense. He began his own series of strikes, that she found difficult to deflect.

Revan watched carefully the technique of the Dark Jedi in front of him. She was skilled, though her emotions caused her to deal blows without thinking, and now she had a hard time defending herself from the strikes of the former Dark Lord.

There, he saw it. A gap in her technique. She had a habit of uncovering herself after deflecting a blow, that came in her direction. She left herself then defenseless and Revan was going to exploit it.

He delivered a powerful blow which, as he expected, she parried away. And again, as he expected, her hand in which she held her lightsaber, was pushed aside. Revan then spun on his heel and delivered a powerful kick with his leg, that met her face. She fell backward and brought her hand to her nose. A blood was soaking through her fingers. The Cathar woman turned off her lightsaber and Revan did the same with his own ones.

"You… you are strong" she muttered, coughing with blood. "Stronger than me, even in my darkness."

"Who are you?" he asked, clipping his lightsabers to his belt.

"I am Juhani, and this is my grove" she replied, gesturing to the stone slabs, that covered the area around her. "This is the place of my dark power. This is the place you have invaded. When I embraced the Dark Side, this is where I sought my solace. It is MINE!"

"You were a Jedi then?" Revan asked intrigued.

"When I slew my Master, Quatra, I knew I could never go back," she said, removing her hand from her nose. It was healed now, thanks to the Force."And now I revel in my dark power. Power enough to crash the life from someone such as you… or so I had thought…"

"And I laugh at your pathetic attempt," he said in a mocking tone.

"What is it you want? Why do you bother me?" she asked at the edge of tears.

"I was sent by the Council to cleanse the taint from this grove" he replied simply.

"The Council has sent you here to kill me? Why, then, when you bested me so easily, did you not simply finish your task? Is it not apparent that I can never be saved?" she asked with a desperation clear in her voice. This desperation touched something in Revan.

"I have no desire to kill you, Juhani" he replied.

"And what another choice you have? I cannot be forgiven for what I have done" she said, ignoring what Revan had to say."How can the Council take me back with what I have done? Striking my Master down in anger is unforgivable."

"Anger? Show them, that you have free yourself from this base passion" he reasoned. He truly had no intention to kill her, cause he felt in her, that she wasn't lost to the Dark Side. She was just simply lost in her life, but not on her way in the Force.

"If I show them I am free of passions… That I am serene… That I am willing to forsake the Dark Side" she murmured. "Maybe, just maybe, they would accept me back. Do you think they would? Could it be possible after what I have done?" she asked with a hope in her voice.

"Your inner peace and harmony will show them your sincerity" he replied. He almost smirked at what he said. He started to sound like the Jedi Masters.

"I… I thank you, master Jedi" she stuttered. "I will return to the Council then. I shall submit myself to their judgment, and hope that they will forgive me. Again, I thank you. I am sure I will hear great things about you in the future" she said and with that turned to leave. She headed towards the Jedi Enclave.

Revan turned around and saw his companions still frozen. He smirked and waved his hand. With that, they collapsed on the ground but quickly rose back to her feet.

"Wh… what happened?" Carth held hands to his temples, as he struggled to stand. After being held by the Force stasis field for a dozen or so minutes, one had a problem in keeping his footing. It was normal.

"Nothing" Revan replied, picking up the lightsaber, that Juhani dropped. "Our task is done here. Let's go back" he said to his companions. "Be cautious, the kath hounds can be still here" he warned them.

Mission looked slightly disoriented, though she complied. Zaalbar only growled and followed the blue Twi'lek as her shadow. Everyone walked in silence. The group of four headed back towards the Enclave, following Juhani.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, write if you have any ideas about what I should change in my writing style and about anything if you have them. See you next time.**


	23. Chapter 22

**Hello again :D Once again, I ask you for reviews, favorites and followings XD And also, I hope you enjoy my story so far. I've also renamed this story cause 'KotOR retelling' seemed to be too simple, and I think that 'Price of the Sacrifice' will better suit this story and the trilogy, I'm planning to write. Write in a comment what you think about this title and have a nice read :D**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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Chapter 22

Canderous wiped a sweat out of his face. He, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie were pacing across the plains of Dantooine. They were looking through the area, that surrounded the Enclave in search for the Mandalorians who were causing trouble around here. But the old field marshal knew that they were no Mandalorians.

It takes more than only wearing an armor to become a true warrior from the Mandalore planet. And in Canderous' eyes, they were only kids who held their noses too high. Their combat skills sucked at least. They were no ones. Boys who thought that they look intimidating in the armors of the Mandalorians.

For the experienced former field marshal dealing with them was a childish play. Not to mention the support from his companions' combat skills. They were trained just like any other Mandalorian. Canderous found it interesting. Not many of the Republic soldiers posed a challenge for the invader from Dxun, but these three of them were different. He assumed that it was due to the fact that they've served directly under Revan. The young man himself presented many features of the Mandalorians. His abilities as a tactician and a fighter came to the legends amongst Canderous' people. And it was obvious, that he would pass it to those who were his closest followers.

Eventually, the four men stumbled upon a group consisting of the three men dressed in the Mandalorian armors and two Duros. One of the warriors had a red armor on himself – one wore by the rally masters during the Mandalorian wars. Two others had a regular blue armor on themselves.

"Ah, so this is the meddler. You have caused us far too much trouble, Canderous" the man in red armor spoke when he saw the four men and the one in front of them. The old Mandalorian somehow recognized this voice, even though it was distorted by the helmet the man wore.

"You know my name" Canderous commented. He took a better grip on his blaster, as he eyed the man in front of him carefully.

"Of course I do" he replied. "I've served under you during the Mandalorian wars, don't you remember already?" he asked with a mocking tone. Canderous' eyes widened at that. He recalled that man, but still, he couldn't find his name in his memory. After all, many people used to serve under him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"It's sad you don't remember me" the man in red armor replied. "I was with you at the Serroco, and later, during the battle of Omonoth, as well as in many other battles. I was your must trusted rally master, and yet you don't remember me" he said, not even bothering to take off his helmet. Canderous' eyes widened again, this time with realization.

"Sherruk?" the old man asked with a small gasp.

"Ah, I'm glad that you finally remember me" he responded.

"Come with me, Sherruk," Canderous said, regaining his normal posture and regular tone.

"And why should I do that?" he asked.

"To regain our honor, brother" was old man's response. Sherruk snorted at that.

"Honor? Honor?! You dare to speak of honor as you have any idea of what it means, Canderous of the Ordo clan" the man in red armor replied. "Amongst all of the field marshals, you were always the weakest one. I have no idea why I followed you. You were against erasing worlds, even if that meant victory. You weren't Mandalorian. You weren't like Cassus Fett. He was the one who wasn't afraid of exploiting our enemy's mistakes and weaknesses, while you decided to stand back. Don't tell me about honor. If you ever had it, you've surely lost it over the Malachor V on Mandalore's flagship, when you fled from the battlefield, leaving all of us to certain death."

"Others fled as well" Canderous replied with an angry tone "If you haven't seen that, Cassus and Bendak escaped as well, and yet, you say nothing about them!" he spat back at the man.

"But they've earned their receivable respect" Sherruk responded. "They've proven themselves as the true Mandalorians. They've claimed their right to survive the Final Battle, in opposite to you."

Canderous watched the man in front of him. His words touched something deep inside the old field marshal. He enjoyed fighting, as any other Mandalorian, but he didn't support mass massacres. This caused him to be belittled amongst the rest of field marshals, even though he still held a high position in the Mandalorian army.

But Sherruk's words also ignited in him a determination. Even if what the former rally master told was true, Canderous would reclaim his honor. He was going to do everything in order to accomplish that. He clenched his teeth. He promised something to Revan. And he was a man of his word.

"Sherruk, come with me," he asked again. The former rally master again snorted and took a better grip on his blaster.

"I am not going to follow you anymore, Canderous Ordo" he replied with pride in his voice. "I know a lot about you. You have forsaken your honor for a Jedi. You're not a man to be followed" he finished.

Canderous clenched his fists even tighter. Knuckles of his right palm probably went white due to the fact, that he held a blaster in that hand. He possessed honor during the Mandalorian wars. And he wasn't going to allow some youngling to accuse him of forsaking it.

"Then come and show what you've got, rally master," he said with hatred in his voice. Sherruk snorted again.

"Do your worst, grandpa" he replied, activating a shield, that he had on his arm.

It was obvious, that Canderous and Sherruk were going to fight toe to toe, so no one interrupted them. Rex, Fox, and Wolfie took care of two others, who wore a Mandalorian armor, as well as the Duros. Just as they expected, they weren't any Mandalorians. They were only kids dressed as the warriors.

They have quickly managed to deal with Sherruk's companions. For someone as experienced as they, these four excuses for fighters meant no challenge. They knew perfectly well the disadvantages of the Mandalorian armors, and they exploited it to the fullest.

Canderous and Sherruk were engaged in a fight. After missing dozens of times with the blasters, they've decided to transform their battle into a melee combat. The vibroswords clashed against each other, bringing out sounds of a metal against metal. The former rally master had the advantage of age. He was much younger than the field marshal from the Ordo clan.

Canderous though had the upper hand in equipment. The Mandalorian armor was thick and provided a great defense, but it had one weakness. It was extremely heavy. This, and the blind spots on neck and under the armpits. And the old field marshal was going to exploit it.

A powerful blow was dealt in the older man's face. Sherruk used the moment to hit his enemy with an armored fist. Canderous heard clearly a crack of breaking a bone. He's heard that many times in his life. And it wasn't the first time when his nose was being broken. He brought his free hand to his face. He felt a blood on his fingers, and when he tried to breathe an air through his nostrils, he found this action impossible.

The old Mandalorian decided to ignore the pain. Thinking about it was for nothing. After all, he had much more important things to occupy his mind. Like a man in the red armor in front of him. He wiped his left hand clean out of the blood. It wouldn't help him if it was slippery. There could be a danger of the vibroblade slipping out of his grasp.

Canderous straightened his grip on the blade and parried the attacks of his opponents. Each of these strikes were heavy and could easily decapitate him. They were directed in different parts of his body. One at the neck and second at his midsection and even lower. He also had to parry few pushes, which were directed into his chest. Now he understood, why Sherruk had such a great position in the Mandalorian army.

His fighting style was one of the best, Canderous has ever seen. His strikes were fast and strong at the same time. The precision of them, combined with pace, could easily make him best most of the soldiers in combat.

But Canderous wasn't like most of the soldiers.

He found a small gap in Sherruk's attacks. They all came in sequence. One blow directed at his side, then another from the opposite direction, repeated twice. Later came a heavy blow from the up, and that was where Canderous had to calculate his counterattack.

First, exploit the weakness of the enemy's armor. He had to deal a quick cut at Sherruk's armpit. Canderous started to count. _One, two, three, NOW!,_ he shouted in his own mind. He made a swift attempt to reach the former rally master's spot under his right arm. And he has managed to reach it.

His vibrosword cut Sherruk's lining. It tore apart the thin material and hurt his armpit. The man in red armor screamed in pain, though it was muffled by the helmet.

He quickly regained his posture and resumed his sequence, though now the blows weren't so strong, as previously. Now, Canderous had an easier task of defending himself.

There again, Sherruk revealed himself for the attack from the older man. Canderous cut his another armpit, but this time, the blade went a little deeper.

The former rally master let out a groan, that he tried to silence with clenched teeth, but it was for nothing. Now the offender had to move to the defense. He found it difficult to protect himself from the field marshal's attacks. They were strong and the blood, that was running down his arms, caused his grip on the vibrosword to lessen.

Sherruk began to pant heavily. Canderous was patient and was dealing a blow after blow. After another powerful strike, he has managed to knock out the blade from the hands of his enemy.

The former field marshal didn't bother with playing in this stupid game of a 'last word'. With his next strike, he decapitated his enemy. The head flew a good few meters away from the body. The headless corpse remained in a standing position for few seconds longer, but soon it has fallen on the ground with a soft thud.

Canderous supported himself on his knees and panted heavily. He spit out the blood that has gathered in his mouth from the broken nose. He brought his hand to his face and set the broken part of his body. It let out a loud crack, and soon, even more, blood started to come out. He didn't as much as flinch, as he repaired his nose.

"I think we're done here" he commented. "Let's go back to the Enclave."

"We're right behind you" Rex replied. They came back to the Jedi Academy minutes before the sun has set down fully. They walked in silence all the way back there.

* * *

Revan was sitting in the archives in the Jedi Enclave. The content of the library was computerized long ago, so the researches were even easier. He was looking for some unusual for him.

He was pacing through the content of the medical notes.

The former Dark Lord was looking for this strange creature, Rakghoul, he believed that it was how Mission described it.

After few hours he has managed to find what he was looking for. There was a lot of information about the creatures themselves and their venom.

 _Rakghouls are the creatures blind in the Force. They leave no trail in it. Their biggest advantage is their numbers. They are being spawned by infecting a human, or any other humanoid being. Their bodies are covered in poison, that causes series of damages in one's body, after getting into his blood system. The transformation takes around two and a half month. If it's not healed immediately, the infected is sentenced to become a Rakghoul. There is an antidote, though. First, Kolto is needed to disinfect the wound. It's recommended to apply it every second day._

 _The antidote is easy to make. It's an extract of the many plants and creatures, that can be found on Dantooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, Onderon, and Iridonia._

 _The venom of the Kinraths will be necessary, so one poison can be occupied with another, but the effect will be temporary, the juices of the trees of Wroshyr,…_

Revan downloaded the content of the datapad to his own one. The list of the ingredients was quite long. And from what he understood, he had little over one month for the transformation to begin. He had to hurry.

* * *

Vrook was sitting in his private chambers, occupied with a deep meditation. He had a hard time understanding what has happened recently.

Revan has cleansed the grove by returning Juhani to the Light Side. This placed him high in the eyes of the other members of the Council. But Vrook knew better.

Even if now this man was remaining at the Jedi teachings, there was a danger of him going down the path of the Dark Side once again. And as the sworn protector of the Republic and the Jedi Order, he couldn't allow that to happen.

Atris' words were fresh in his mind. _You have a permission to slay him._ He smiled slightly. He would finally do, what was supposed to be done on that Mandalorian world, where Revan was born.

* * *

"There you are" Bastila's voice interrupted his research, although it was practically done. "I was looking for you."

Revan looked up from the desk at which he was sitting. Dozens of the datapads laid around him. He carefully turned them off.

"What are you doing here so late?" Bastila asked. He smiled in response.

"I'm trying to make my knowledge of the Jedi ways bigger" he replied with a cocky smile. She raised an eyebrow at that.

"You surely do" she commented, walking closer to him. "Anyway, I was looking for you for a reason."

"Oh, have you found my company pleasant?" he asked with a mocking tone. Bastila chuckled slightly at that.

"No, I…" she started but was cut off by Revan.

"You don't? What a tragedy" he exclaimed with a playful tone, bringing his palm to his forehead. Bastila laughed again.

"Mock me as often as you want" she replied. "But I wanted to speak to you," she said. Her serious tone meant, that she didn't come here to crack jokes.

"What is it then?" Revan asked. There were no traces of his previous playful tone.

"I wanted to speak with about your quest at the Grove" she replied. "This what you have done for Juhani was… magnificent, I must admit."

Revan nodded his head in response. He didn't know where this conversation was heading.

"I wanted to know how you have done that" she added, looking at him. She sat on the desk he was working at. "Many Jedi struggle with the temptation of the Dark Side, while you have not only resisted it but also turned someone else from it. How have you done?"

 _With a determination to blind this foul, Master Vrook_ , he said in his mind, though he didn't say that out loud.

"I wanted to prove myself worthy of the task," he said instead. "I've seen what the Sith are capable of and I wanted to save that woman from it. I've found it right to try to convince her to come back to the Jedi Order. I think, that everyone would do what I did" he explained, trying to sound as much convincing as he could.

Bastila nodded in response, saying nothing. They were just sitting there in silence. After a moment, the female Jedi Padawan stood up from the desk.

"Thank you for your honesty," she said. "It means a lot to me" she added and with that, Bastila was gone. When the doors were closed, Revan let out a groan.

He didn't like lying to her, but it was necessary. But that wasn't the reason why he groaned. It was the way she was dressed.

She was still wearing the same form-fitting outfit, that she wore so often. And it matched her woman curves so perfectly.

Her breasts were large enough to see them in these unusual Jedi robes. The material was covering them perfectly, matching her chest. Her hips were rounded a little. They were few inches wider than her waist. This gave her an amazing hourglass shape. And when she turned around to leave, by the Force. Who taught her to sway these gorgeous hips in that way? Revan had no idea and he couldn't help but admire her from behind.

He has barely managed to keep himself from running up to her and starting making out with Bastila. He was so eager to kiss her. To touch her, to make her his and only his. But he couldn't. At least not now.

He let out another groan and looked back at the datapads. After a moment he decided to come back to his quarters. He was too tired for any research, and he has done well in the past few hours.

* * *

"Their leader was Sherruk, one of the rally masters, who served under me during the war. I haven't managed to convince him to join you, forgive me" Canderous said. Revan was listening in silence, as the older man reported how he solved the threat of few Mandalorians. He let out a sigh.

"Nothing happened" he replied. "After all, we're not going to die, if we don't have one more Mandalorian at our side. I'm glad you were trying, Canderous" he said to the old field marshal. The man bowed slightly in response.

"What's the plan now?" Fox asked.

"We'll see tomorrow" Revan replied. "If things will play out how I want, we will be leaving Dantooine soon. But we'll find out tomorrow" he repeated, and turned to leave, giving a clear signal that the conversation was over. The former Dark Lord retreated to his own quarters.

And Revan failed to notice Vrook at the far end of the corridor. The old man was watching and listening carefully, golden flames burning in his usual blue eyes.

* * *

 **So here ends another chapter, let me know what you thought about it. See you next time!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Guys, I have to thank you. My story is in top 100 (amount of reviews, favorites and follows) stories of the Old Republic world for 1305 stories overall. This is a milestone for me and I thank you for your support. I haven't expected that my first fanfic will be so good. Meanwhile, I invite you to read another chapter.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 23

Revan cursed silently. He was sitting in his quarters in the Jedi Academy on Dantooine. The former Dark Lord was eyeing his right shoulder carefully. The wound was growing. Around the gash, his skin was fiercely red and in some spots even black. Around him were laying bandages, that were soaked up with his blood, and body fluids. It hurt when he was taking off his patches. With them came out a piece of his coalesced scab. From the opened wound a fresh blood has drained. Revan used some of the not used bandages to stop the bleeding.

And now he was eyeing his shoulder with a concern in his eyes. A small scratch has almost tripled in size. The former Dark Lord applied some of the Kolto on the wound. He had to clench his teeth in order to not scream in pain. The substation caused the gash to sting uncontrollably. But after a moment, he felt the pain subsiding. He unclenched his teeth and opened his eyes.

He didn't expect the pain to be so big to make him cry. But it happened. Revan felt small tears running down his cheeks. He pulled out a small leather strap from his mouth. It was supposed to nullify his screams, as well as provide his teeth from breaking. And it has done its job.

Even if Kolto caused his wound to sting in the beginning, the feeling was gone now. The relief took its place. He sighed slightly. He felt the pain lessening. After a moment he was able to gather his thoughts again.

From what he understood from the datapads in the archives, he had little over a month before the transformation begins. Till this time, he had to gather all the ingredients. Fortunately, they were on the same planets as the Star Maps, so this wouldn't collide with his quest for the Star Forge. Officially, he still didn't receive Council's permission to find Malak's weapon, but he knew that he would go for it.

Revan put on the fresh bandages that were soaked up with Kolto on his right shoulder. He tied them up securely, being careful to not do it too strong. With his wound somewhat cleaned he stood up from the bed. The former Dark Lord picked up the used patches and cast them into the trash. He put on his brown Jedi cloak on the black tunic he wore and left his quarters. He was supposed to meet with the Council not long after the sunrise.

He walked through the halls of the Enclave without hurry. This place somehow always soothed him. He closed his eyes and in his imagination appeared the flashbacks of his childhood. He remembered countless times when he and Alek were running through these corridors, escaping after making a prank on someone. Or simply, they were enjoying their free time. He sighed and smiled slightly. Things were much easier then.

But he had to abandon these thoughts, as he approached the Council chambers. He felt an extremely enraged person not so far from here. His smile only grew wider. Vrook truly had a problem with hiding his emotions. He was emanating with bigger hatred than even Malak. And that was actually difficult to pass by his former in this.

He opened his eyes as he entered the chambers. As he expected, except four Masters he also noticed Bastila at her usual spot.

"You have done well, my pupil" Zhar greeted him. "The Ancient Grove has been purified and Juhani's journey down the dark path has been halted. Because of you, she walks once more in the light. But though she was saved, do not dismiss what happened to her. Juhani is both dedicated and true to the ideals of the Order, yet she was still vulnerable to the Dark Side. As are we all. She struck her master in anger during training and injured her greatly. But it was Quatra's choice to test Juhani this way, and it seems to have made its point. Juhani has been redeemed, and you have passed your final test. Congratulations, apprentice. Or should I say congratulations, Padawan? You have proven yourself worthy of joining the Jedi. Let me be the first to welcome you as a full-fledged member of our Order!" the purple Twi'lek finished with a slight bow. Revan returned the gesture. He saw with a corner of his eye Vrook rolling his eyes.

"It is good to see Juhani returned to the way of the light" Vandar added. "You are to be commended for your role in this. Your actions give us great hope for the future. Your training is now complete, young Padawan. And perhaps now it is the time we dealt with the matter of the dream you and Bastila shared. When we heard of the ruins in your dreams, Master Dorak recognized it as one of a series of ancient structures here on Dantooine. This one in particular lies to the east of this Enclave. We sent a Jedi to investigate… but he has not returned. Perhaps sending him in the first place was a mistake. The Force is guiding you through your visions; it may be that exploring the ruins is a task tied to your destiny. That is why the Council has now decided you should be the one to investigate this. The secrets to stopping Malak may be hidden within those ruins. You must investigate them and find what Revan and Malak were looking for" the small Master explained. Revan's left corner of his lips drifted upwards a little. Vandar has played his role perfectly.

"I'll investigate these ruins right away" he replied with another bow.

"Be sure to bring Bastila with you" the green alien added. "There is a powerful link between you, and you will need to draw strength from each other during the trials ahead."

"But be careful, Padawan" Vrook interjected. "This task may prove itself too difficult for you," he said with frowned brows, as usual. Revan almost laughed. This old fool had something in his mind, and he knew it.

"I'll do my best, Masters," he said in a mocking tone. Dorak, Vandar, and Zhar replied nothing at that, while Vrook became even more enraged. His veins started to show up on his skull and his skin turned into a red color. "Be careful, Master, not to explode" he added and turned to leave the chambers. Behind him, he heard laughs from other Masters, though nothing from Vrook. He smiled not looking back.

He and Bastila quickly left the Enclave. It was still morning on this side of Dantooine. The sun was shining right in their eyes, so they had to cover them with their hands.

After a moment their orbs adjusted to the brightness. Bastila shivered a little. It was still quite early and the air was cold. She put her hands on her arms in order to warm herself up.

She felt something being pressed into her chest. She lifted her eyelids only to see Revan offering her his cloak. She gladly accepted the gift and wrapped herself tightly with it. Bastila murmured silent 'thanks'.

"Do you want to talk, Bastila?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"How can I help?" she replied with a question, willing to enter some conversation.

"You look like something's bothering you," Revan said, walking closer to her.

"No, not bothering me" she answered. "Not exactly. I've been thinking about what the Jedi Council said about the two of us" Bastila added. "There is a Bond between us, I do not dispute that. I can feel it, as I'm sure you can. The nature of that bond and its effect on our mission remain in question" she said with a perfectly faked tone. Revan smirked at that. She certainly knew how to lie.

"I think you're interested in more than just the 'bond' between us" he replied, teasing her. Bastila blushed slightly.

"Please! I'm a Jedi" she replied in an offended tone. "Such feelings, such attractions are… well, they're beneath me, quite frankly" Bastila said. Revan smiled at that. A few years ago she had no problems with showing these feelings, as she used to snuggle with him. "I admit, I find you intriguing" she continued. "Uh… I mean, I find your command of the Force intriguing" she corrected herself with another blush. "But my interest in you is purely academic. Surely you can understand why" she explained, trying to fight away the blush on her cheeks. Revan smiled even wider. "Our fates are strongly connected; so connected that a literal bond has been forged between us" she continued further on. "I saw your service records when you were transferred aboard the Endar Spire, but nothing beyond that. I know very little about you. I'd like to ask you some questions, given our relationship."

"Our… relationship?" he asked with a small chuckle. "That's so cute, I've never been hit on by a Jedi before," Revan said, laughing uncontrollably, as Bastila's face went an even deeper shade of red.

"I was referring to the bond we share" she replied with an angry tone. "The one the Jedi Council spoke of. If I actually was interested in you, rest assured I could come up with a better approach than this!" she said annoyed.

"Woah, guess I touched a nerve there, huh?" Revan asked with another small chuckle.

"Touched a nerve, no" Bastila replied in a mocking tone. "Getting on my nerves most definitely. I suppose this is what you men consider being witty" she added with a sigh. "Now, are you going to answer my questions? Or would you rather just keep annoying me?" she asked with a neutral tone.

"Uh… The second one" he said, raising his brow in a cocky way. His lips again curled in a smile.

"I see you intend to be childish about this. I guess I won't get anywhere continuing our discussion right now, will I?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "I suppose I'll just have to speak to you again later. Hopefully, you'll behave a little less like a little boy and a little more like a… like a man!" she spat.

"Oh come on I'm just teasing you!" he exclaimed. "I try to lighten somehow your mood and you are greatly offended. This is what I meant back on Taris, that you are a spoiled girl. Open up a little to me! Don't be stuck up!" he added looking at her. In response, she let out a sigh. "And besides, your face is all scrunched up like a kinrath pup" he added, earning a shocked expression from her.

"Seriously? A kinrath pup?" she asked, not believing what she has just heard. She let out another sigh. "I guess, I will have to get used to you childish behavior" she complained. Revan smiled widely at that.

"So, you said you wanted to ask me some questions?" he urged her. She nodded her head.

"Yes I did" she replied. "Don't worry, these are simple questions" she added quickly. "Nothing too intrusive. First, what kind of background do you have?" she asked.

"Nothing extravagant. I'm just a simple soldier" he answered. "Or I used to, as now I'm part of the Jedi Order" he added.

"Good" Bastila commented. "On which planet were you born?" she asked.

Revan searched through the memories of his false identity. He had to hurry, he couldn't think about that so much.

"Deralia" she answered after a moment. Bastila eyed him carefully, noticing his hesitation. "It's in a remote system. Why?"

"Excellent" she replied, ignoring his question. "Your current age is?" she continued to ask him.

Revan let out a sigh. Bastila truly could be annoying. These questions were… for nothing. Was she supposed to find out if his false identity still was in him? He decided to tease her a little.

"Three thousand and twelve" he replied after a moment. "Healthy living, you know" he added with a small smile. He didn't expect Bastila to actually chuckle at that. He smiled. That was a good direction of their reunion.

"Yeah, I wouldn't say that" she replied, deciding to tease him back. "You're actually quite clumsy and your breath stinks like bantha," she said with a playful tone. Revan faked an offended look.

"My breath really stinks?" he asked, acting as he was on the edge of tears. He even wiped the non-existing tear out of his eye. Bastila laughed at that. Revan didn't hold for long and also burst into laughter.

In their state, they haven't noticed how quickly they've reached the Ancient Ruins. Due to Revan's actions, the kath hounds were calm now. The two of them came closer to the doors, and they opened automatically.

"Be cautious" Revan warned her, entering as the first one. Something wasn't right. He remembered quite exactly these ruins from the first time when he was here. But something seemed… different. The Force was telling him that there was some kind of a surprise inside. But he couldn't understand what it was.

Once they've entered, they found themselves in a cold, stone structure. Bastila shivered again. They looked around, igniting their lightsabers.

The area around them wasn't high, but it was wide. The walls and the ceiling were all black. Small columns were supporting the ceiling. Everywhere were the spider webs. They encased the floor and some of the walls.

Revan took a step forward. As he expected, nothing happened. He started walking cautiously ahead with Bastila following him closely behind. Eventually, they reached another pair of doors. The former Dark Lord opened them with the Force.

As he recalled, there was standing an old droid. It was built in an ancient fashion and in nothing resembled the machines, that were being produced nowadays. It was standing on four, spider-like legs and had a longitudinal torso. It also had a small gun under something, that probably was meant to be a head.

The droid let out a series of different words. Revan recognized them. It was a dialect of the Rakatans.

"What is it saying?" Bastila asked a rhetorical question. She was eyeing the droid carefully as in fear, that it might attack us.

"It says that we are allowed to go" Revan answered. That was… partially true. The droid remembered him and it said, that it's been some time since he was there. But he couldn't say that to Bastila, could he?

"You understand it?" she asked intrigued. Revan smirked. Of course, she had to play this little game of the High Council that was his false identity. He decided to follow her lead.

"Actually yes" he replied. "Before I was assigned to the military, I had a contact with the smugglers on Nar Shadda. This is one of the many dialects that's in common use there" he replied. That also was partially true. At least this about his stay on the smugglers' moon. Bastila seemed to be intrigued. He knew perfectly that she understood the real reason why he was able to communicate with that droid.

Revan and Bastila went through the stone doors. Once again, they've found themselves in a long corridor. They walked cautiously forward. On the far end of the hall was standing their destination. The two Jedi Padawans approached the stone structure that was a Star Map. The device, just like in their vision, opened itself when they got close enough.

Bastila gasped slightly at the sight before her eyes while Revan stared in silence. It was something he got used to seeing. A small ball lifted itself into the air and showed a map of the entire Galaxy. But, except Dantooine and Kashyyyk, no planet was marked on the holoprojection of the Galaxy.

"This… This must be what Revan and Malak found when they entered these ruins" she said after a moment. "This must be where their journey down the Dark Side began" she added. Revan smirked at that. _Our journey down the Dark Side began at Dromund Kaas, he commented in his thoughts._ "But something is wrong" Bastila said after a pause. "This map seems to be incomplete" she finished, resting her chin on her fist. She was in deep thoughts right now.

"You're right" Revan replied, coming closer to the Star Map. He knelt next to it and was pointing at what he was saying. "Look. This planet here, it is Dantooine. There is a visibly marked a hyperspace route to Kashyyyk. It also contains the incomplete coordinates."

"What do you think it can mean?" Bastila asked intrigued, forgetting about who the person called Alen Royce really was. She came closer and knelt next to the former Dark Lord.

"I suppose that this Star Map leads to the another one that might be located here, on Kashyyyk," he said, pointing at the small dot, which was the forest world. "Perhaps there can be found another clue about the Star Forge. Like the missing coordinates and the hyperspace routes," he explained and took off the datapad that he was carrying.

"What are you doing?" she asked, looking at him with a questioning look.

"It might be good to download these information" he explained, rolling his eyes. He loved Bastila, but sometimes she was just… uncomprehending. She said nothing in response.

Revan looked around the space they were in. Something in the Force was screaming in this place. And it wasn't the usual call of the Dark Side that always was here. It was something… different.

Revan checked his datapad. There was left a dozen or so minutes before the full content will be downloaded to it.

"Go outside, Bastila," he said, not bothering to look at her.

"What?!" she exclaimed surprised and a little enraged.

"It's cold in here" he explained, turning to her. "And it will take several more minutes before the download is finished. Besides, everything's done here" he finished. Bastila stood up unwillingly. "I'll be fine" he added, looking at her with a small smile.

"But get a move on, Alen," she said and turned to leave.

"It won't take me long" Revan replied. He watched Bastila walking out from the ruins. When he heard the doors closing behind her, he stood up.

"Was it Vrook who sent you?" he asked a question to the walls around him. Revan scanned the room with his eyes. It was covered with shadows and spider webs. But something was there, the former Dark Lord sensed it. Or more precisely, someone was out there.

As he expected, a person stepped out from the shadows. It was an old Jedi Knight. He was a male human with grey hair and eyes of the same color. His skin was light, but it had few discolorations. He was dressed in a regular, beige Jedi robe with the brown shoulder plates, belt, and armguards in the same color. A silver lightsaber handle was hanging from his belt.

The old man had a serious expression on his face. He frowned in an anger. He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and turned it on. A blue blade sprang to in response ignited his own red and blue lightsabers.

"I see that what Vrook told about you was correct, _Sith_ ," the man said, taking a fighting stance. Revan followed his lead. He crossed his lightsabers before his chest. The blue and red lights mixed into a purple color. The former Dark Lord's expression hardened. He furrowed his brows and eyed the man carefully.

"I am NOT Sith" he replied. With that, they engaged in combat.

The lightsabers hummed, as they crashed against each other. The walls reflected the sounds, increasing their volume. Revan was the one to be in defense, as the older man was attacking him with swift blows. Despite his old age, the Jedi Knight was able to deal very quick and precise strikes. But it was the former Dark Lord who had the upper hand. For many, fighting with two lightsabers was difficult, but not for Revan.

The fallen Jedi was able to protect himself from the strikes of his enemy with one weapon and deal his own blows occasionally with the second one. This caught the older Jedi off guard. He was quickly forced to move from the offense to defense and now it was Revan being the attacker.

Revan was attacking alternately with both of his lightsabers, every time the weapons were letting out a humming noise. The older Jedi had a hard time blocking the attacks. He found himself walking backward in order to protect himself somehow from the assault.

The former Dark Lord pushed the Jedi Knight with one of his lightsabers. The red blade met the blue one. The older man had to retreat under the pressure of the younger man. Revan attacked with his second lightsaber. His opponent reacted immediately, putting up his only mean of defense against his attacker.

The fallen Jedi was now attacking with both of his lightsabers at once, adding, even more, strength to his attacks. The older man was forced to stumble backward. After few of such attacks, the Jedi Knight's lightsaber was knocked out from his hand. Revan wasn't playing any game of 'the last word' or 'showing mercy'. When the old Jedi dropped his weapon, he cut him in half.

His opponent's body fell to the floor in two pieces. A small smoke was rising from the spot where lightsaber met flesh. Revan's expression saddened a little. He didn't want to kill someone who wasn't his enemy. It wasn't the old man's fault that Vrook sent him on a certain death. The former Dark Lord came closer to his fallen opponent and his sadness went even deeper.

He recognized this man now when the heat of battle wasn't over him. Nemo. A very nice old man, who used to treat him and Alek as his grandsons when they were younger. He wasn't a Jedi Master. He was someone who knew many stories and liked to tell them to kids. Revan felt a small tear running down his cheek. He wiped it out immediately.

He couldn't allow himself for something like that. Later will be a time to mourn the dead ones. But not now. Now he had to make sure to save the Galaxy from any more deaths.

He stood up and clipped his lightsabers to his belt. He returned to the Star Map and picked up his datapad. With that in his hand, he turned to leave.

* * *

"What took you so long?!" Bastila exclaimed as she noticed Revan leaving the ruins. She wasn't wearing the cloak he gave her anymore, due to the warmth that was being given by the sun.

"Sorry, Princess" he apologized, protecting his eyes from the burning sun. "Accidentally, I've launched the security droids. I had to fight my way back" he lied. She seemed to relax after seeing that he was alright. She returned him his cloak which he gladly accepted and wrapped it around himself. Even if it was warm outside, he still was slightly shivering after these ruins.

"Let's go back," he said, beginning to walk in the direction of the Enclave.

* * *

Revan and Bastila entered the Council chambers. Vrook was the first one to notice them. If he was surprised to see the former Dark Lord alive, he didn't show it.

"Ah, you have returned, young Padawan" Vandar greeted them. "Have you discovered what it was that Revan and Malak sought in those ruins?" he asked, faking an intrigued tone. He was playing his role perfectly.

"We found an incomplete Star Map" Bastila was first one to reply. "It contained fragments of coordinates and hyperspace routes, as well as the trail to Kashyyyk. These missing coordinates might be the location of the Star Forge. But there are of no use if they remain incomplete."

"Hmm…" Vandar went silence for a moment. "If my suspicions are correct, then this must be some clue where to find another of these 'Star Maps'" he continued. "This Star Forge, have you managed to find any information about what it is?"

"Unfortunately no, Master" Bastila replied.

"We should consult the Jedi archives on Coruscant to see if there is any mention of this 'Star Forge' and what it might do" Vrook interjected. "We must learn why Revan and Malak sought it out."

The other Masters let out a collective nod. They all agreed to this matter.

"Return to your quarters, Padawans" Vandar said to them. "We will summon you when we are done."

With that, they were dismissed. Revan and Bastila left the chambers and headed towards the place where their rooms were located in.

* * *

Few hours have passed before they were summoned to the Council chambers back again. Bastila was eager to know the decision of the Masters, while Revan was eager to leave this planet.

"Padawans, you have done well in discovering the Star Map hidden within the Ancient Ruins," Vandar said as he noticed them. "But there is more you must do in the battle against Malak and the Sith. We Jedi know victory over Sith will not come through martial might. The Council has a mission for you, Padawans."

"I have consulted our vast archives in an effort to discover the nature of this 'Star Forge', but all my efforts have been in vain" Master Dorak announced.

"Still, the Council members are in agreement" Vrook interjected. "The Star Forger must be found! Revan and Malak sough it out when they began their tragic fall; the Star Forge is surely a powerful tool of the Dark Side."

 _You have no idea how powerful,_ Revan commented in his thoughts, being careful to hide them from Bastila.

"The Star Map in the ruins showed you Kashyyyk" Master Vandar continued. "As well as fragments of coordinates and the hyperspace routes, but it was incomplete. It did not show the location of the Star Forge itself. We believe there may be a similar Star Map on this planet. And the one in there might lead to yet another one. Each Star Map, depending on how many of them is somewhere out there, is likely a small piece of a larger puzzle. Find the Star Map on Kashyyyk. We believe that if it doesn't lead you to the Star Forge, it might give some clues about it."

"I am ready to do the Council's wish" Revan replied, bowing slightly.

"The Jedi numbers have been ravaged by this war, by defections to Malak's cause and by Sith assassins," Vandar said. _And due to my actions,_ Revan added in his thoughts. "But we realize the importance of this mission. Yet if we sent a company of Jedi Knights with you we would surely draw the full attention of Malak and the Sith, dooming your efforts to failure."

"Good" Revan replied. "Others will only slow me down."

"You won't go alone, though" Vandar replied. "Secrecy is our best defense against the Sith, but it would be foolish to send you on this quest without someone to aid you, young Padawan. Bastila will accompany you, for there is a powerful connection between you two… a connection that might be the key to unraveling the mysteries uncovered by Revan. And Juhani has also asked to accompany you. After long deliberation, we have granted her request."

"Juhani nearly fell to the Dark Side" Vrook interjected. "Perhaps her presence will serve as a reminder to you of the danger of that path."

"Great" Revan sighed. "A Jedi Princess and the cat woman. Anyone else wants to stick with me?" he asked a rhetorical question, earning a slightly angered expression from Vrook.

"Of course those who aided you on Taris will also come" Vandar replied, ignoring his comment. "They possess skills you may find useful in your quest. Remember that secrecy and discretion are paramount to your success. You will not be able to hide the fact that you are a Jedi; nor should you. But the true nature of your mission must not reach Malak's ears. You may return here anytime. Dantooine will be a sanctuary for you, a safe haven. Here you can find supplies and whatever advice or other aid we may give you."

"When do I leave?" Revan simply asked. He was thankful that Master Vandar was willing to cooperate.

"Tomorrow, at the dawn" Vrook replied. "But first warning, young Padawan: the lure of the Dark Side is difficult to resist. I fear this quest to find the Star Forge could lead you down an all too familiar path" he said in a mysterious tone. Revan fought an urge to smile.

"The fate of the Galaxy is in your hands, young Padawan" Vandar added. "We pray you are up to the challenge. May the Force be with you" he ended. Revan replied with a bow and turned to leave.

 _More than you know, Master Vandar. More than you know,_ he thought, as he returned to his quarters.

* * *

 **Here comes another one. I hope you enjoy it and if you do then you know what to do next. See you in the next chapter!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Hello again. As always, I ask for reviews, favorites and followings XD. Have a nice read.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 24

Revan enjoyed the warmth of the setting sun on his skin. This was his last day on Dantooine. In few hours he and his companions were supposed to go to Kashyyk.

He sighed with relief. He was laying on a small hill on Dantooine that was located not far from the Jedi Enclave. He had his eyes closed and his arms crossed behind his head. He heard the barking of the kath hounds in the far. Every now and then a cloud or a ray cast a shadow on him blocking for a moment the sun.

Even if he was someone who was quite familiar with the Dark Side, he liked to relax like that. He really enjoyed the moments when he was forgetting that the fate of the Galaxy was in his hands. After all, everyone deserved some rest.

Suddenly a shadow rested on him. The former Dark Lord expected it to pass in no moment, but that didn't happen. He slowly opened one of his eyes.

He noticed a human shape over him. Nothing more due to the sunlight. The person, that was standing next to him, kept its hands on its hips. Revan covered his eyes with his palms to somehow block the sunlight that was causing him to not see many details.

The shape turned out to be Bastila. He didn't see much of her face, but she seemed to be amused by the sight before her. Revan's lips curled up in a small smile.

"I was wondering where have you disappeared" Bastila announced when she saw that Revan acknowledged her presence. She sat next to him, looking at the man with still amused expression. He let out another pleased sigh.

"Why? Were you worried about me?" he teased. His smile grew wider. She smirked lightly at his response.

"Don't have such high self-opinion about yourself" she replied. Somehow the closeness between them worked soothingly at her, despite her feeling guilty about her part in erasing Revan's identity. This _Alen Royce_ possessed many features of the man who previously lived in this body. „Something like that can lead to pride" she added. In response, the man next to her turned his head in her direction and looked at her with amusement.

"If I wanted to be lectured, I would have visited Master Vrook" he replied. At that Bastila laughed loudly. Revan lifted himself into a sitting position. He rested his arms behind his back to not fall down. Only now he noticed, that he was sitting on the same hill where he and Bastila shared their first and only kiss.

The scenery reminded the one from over four years ago. Again, they were sitting there alone with the setting sun casting last lights on their faces. Revan closed his eyes, waiting for Bastila to stop giggling. He enjoyed one of the not so many pleasant memories. As it happened, most of them were connected with the woman next to him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Bastila asked. Revan reopened his eyes and looked at her. Her expression wasn't the amused one anymore. Now she wore a relaxed one. She was looking straight at the sun.

The former Dark Lord watched the woman sitting next to him. He couldn't play it anymore.

"You are beautiful" he murmured. Bastila turned to look at him only to notice his face mere millimeters from her own. Her eyes widened in shock but she did not move. She let out a small gasp when she felt his lips on her own ones.

Her senses returned to her and she tried to break free, but she found out that she was being strongly held by the man next to her. Bastila tried to resist him, but her strength was fading quickly. A little unwillingly, she returned the kiss.

His lips were soft. She was surprised with that. The young Padawan certainly didn't expect that. His kisses were delicate as feathers. She felt him smiling.

"I've missed you, Bastila" he murmured quietly against her lips. Her eyes opened wide with shock once again, as these words made their way to her consciousness. Once again, she tried to break free, but he held her even stronger.

 _He remembers!,_ her mind screamed at her. She had to contact the Council. She had to stop him.

Bastila felt his lips moving away from her own ones, but his hands remained on her body, holding her firmly. Revan was looking into her eyes.

"I remember" he confirmed. "I remember since I was assigned to the Endar Spire" he continued. "I know who I am. And I know that I've missed you. For over four years I kept thinking about you, Bastila" he finished. She was astounded with his words.

"Why have you done that?" she asked in response. "Why have you done what you did after the Mandalorian wars?" she clarified.

"I'll tell you one day" Revan replied. With that, he kissed her again.

This time she was more cooperative. Bastila returned his kiss eagerly, catching his face with her hands. Revan's arms snaked around her, bringing her closer to him. She found herself being lifted into the air and after a moment she was sitting on his legs, straddling him.

Revan pressed softly against her lips, urging her to open them. She complied willingly.

Bastila felt Revan's tongue probing her mouth. He explored the cavern of her mouth as he did over four years ago. He was touching her teeth, lips and even her own tongue. Bastila twitched a little at the sensation of two muscles touching each other. She returned the gesture, tasting him in her mouth.

They didn't know how much time has passed, but soon they had to part from each other because their lungs were screaming for air. But they remained in the same position. They had small smiles dancing across their lips with eyes remaining closed. The two Jedi enjoyed their memory and the presence.

* * *

"How have you returned?" she asked curiously. They were laying on the same hill for over an hour already. The sun has set long ago, but they remained at their favorite spot. The stars and the moon were casting small light on them.

Bastila was resting her head on his shoulder, while Revan surrounded her slender form with his arm. He kept his chin on top of her head. He smiled a little, thinking what he should say.

"I've prepared myself for that" he replied after a moment. Bastila raised her head to look at him. "I knew that it was about to happen. I've managed to secure myself from that" he continued. She nodded slowly, confirming that she understood.

"Does anyone else knows?" she asked. She felt him nodding.

"Canderous knows" he confirmed. "As well as Rex, Fox, and Wolfie. I've also told Master Vandar" he added. She lifted herself from the spot on his shoulder and looked at him with a questioning gaze.

"Why?" she asked simply. Revan sighed.

"I needed his guidance… and his help" he replied quietly.

"What do you mean?" she asked again. Revan let out another sigh.

"I'll tell you one day" he replied. "Let's go back to the Enclave," he said, standing up. "It's getting cold here."

The former Dark Lord gave Bastila his hand which she gladly accepted. Revan helped her stand up and caught her when her legs refused to keep her weight for the first few seconds. He gave her another soft, brief kiss on the lips. With that they turned towards the Academy, cracking jokes on their way there.

* * *

"You leave tomorrow, Padawan," Vandar said, not looking at the man who has just entered his quarters. Revan closed the doors behind him and stood there patiently. "You may sit, Revan," the Jedi Master told him after blocking the room with his thoughts from the spying ears.

Revan complied silently, sitting on a small chair. He rested his hands on his knees.

"Have you followed my advice?" Vandar asked. Revan nodded.

"Yes, I have, Master. She knows" was his reply. The old Jedi nodded his head.

"Good," he said after a moment. "This may be helpful in your mission. Hiding it from Bastila would be difficult due to your Force Bond. But I sense something troubling you, young one. What is it?" he asked curiously.

"I'm worried, Master" he replied quietly. "I'm afraid that I won't manage to complete this task" he clarified. Vandar nodded again.

"This what you took on your shoulders is dangerous at least," the old Jedi said. "I must admit that I was surprised at what you told me a month ago. But you seem to be sure about the necessity of your actions?" he asked. Revan nodded in response. "Then you are going to succeed," Vandar said. "But you will be needing help. You can't do it without anyone. Remember: Jedi is never alone. If Bastila knows, then don't be afraid of turning to her for advice. She might be young, but she is wise."

"But I haven't told her everything, Master" Revan interjected. "I don't want to tell her what I've told you. I know that she would want to come with me. And where I must go, I cannot take anyone I love" he finished. Vandar thought about that for a moment.

"You care for her, that's obvious" he commented. "But don't allow your attachment to her cloud your mind. If you will be too afraid of losing her, you might doom your mission to failure. Remember that those we love never abandon us" he warned him. Revan nodded in acknowledgment.

"Thank you, Master" he replied and stood up to leave.

"May the Force serve you well," Vandar said after him. Revan smirked at that.

"And may the Force be with you, Master" he returned, leaving the old Jedi's quarters.

He stopped when he reached Vrook's room. The old fool was in the training room, teaching the younglings. And Revan had a small gift for him. He decided to leave it in his quarters. The former Dark Lord smiled as he imagined the reaction of the old Jedi Master on seeing it.

* * *

The morning came rather quickly. Revan was woken up by the sun's rays entering his room through the small windows. He lifted himself up. He was relaxed after sleep. Telling Bastila the truth worked soothingly on him.

He stood up from the bed and took a small bag that contained few of his personal things. After visiting Master Vandar, he spent the rest of the previous day preparing the ship for the take-off. He and the rest of the crew packed all things and supplies so now in the morning they could only wake up, eat something, and be ready for the departure.

Revan walked out from his quarters and turned to the other doors. A loud snoring was coming from behind them. He knocked loudly, waking up Canderous which was almost impossible. The old Mandalorian possessed an incredible skill in sleeping like the dead.

Revan walked to another door and woke up the rest of his companions. He smiled lightly when he heard a loud groan as well as a roar from Zaalbar. He could swear that he even heard curses from Fox's room. He smiled even wider at that.

The former Dark Lord was waiting patiently for everyone to leave their quarters. It took them fifteen minutes to walk out from their rooms.

The first one was Bastila. As always, she had her hair tied up carefully in a ponytail with two strands around her face. She was wearing her usual robe that stood out a little from the Jedi standards. She had a cloak wrapped around her tightly. The young Padawan smiled when she saw Revan. She came to him and planted a small kiss on his lips as a 'good morning'. Revan returned the smile.

Carth and Rex were next. The Republic officer wore a tired expression. He wiped his face to get rid of the sleepiness of his face.

Rex looked similar to the man he walked behind. He was still exhausted but his soldier nature didn't allow him to sleep for a long time, even if he wanted it.

Fox and Wolfie left their rooms few seconds after Carth and Rex. Their expression also showed that they would most likely sleep for another few hours.

Mission nearly jumped out from her room. Of all crew, she was the only one who was getting bored in the Enclave and she gladly accepted the news of the departure. She was on cloud nine when the morning came and couldn't wait for the Ebon Hawk to be in space again.

Zaalbar, as always, didn't express any emotions. He walked in silence without even a growl. He followed the blue Twi'lek without any sound and stood next to her as her shadow.

Now they were only waiting for Canderous. Revan sighed heavily and walked to the doors where the Mandalorian's room was. He knocked several times on the wooden doors, trying to wake up the old field marshal.

"Wake up, Canderous!" he exclaimed. "We're waiting only for you!"

"Usen'ye!" Mandalorian replied in his native language. Revan, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie who knew the Mando'a laughed at that.

"Motir Mando'ad!" Revan shouted in Canderous' language. He heard the old man grown behind the door. Soon the heavy footsteps could be heard and the Mandalorian left his room.

They walked towards the landing pad. They were supposed to eat on board of the ship, as they had little to no time. They had to be airborne in few minutes. The route to Kashyyk was long. Their ship would make this hyperspace jump in around nineteen hours. And it was quite a long route.

They quickly found themselves next to the Ebon Hawk where Juhani was waiting for them. Carth and Wolfie walked into the ship, heading towards the cockpit. They turned on the engines, preparing the ship for the take-off. The rest of the crew also entered the ship, except Revan and Bastila. They waited outside for the Jedi Masters.

After few minutes the Council has appeared. They walked up to the two Jedi for the last lecture before their departure.

"Remember our teachings" Zhar began. "They may be of a great use in your mission. The Jedi is never alone. Don't be afraid to turn to your companions, if you need any help. You are also always fully welcomed here in the Enclave if you will need our guidance or a good word."

"Also, make sure to be discrete" Vandar said. "Malak will surely try to get you if he finds out about your mission" the small Master added, looking at Revan. The young man understood that gaze and smiled slightly.

"Be careful as to your deeds, young one" Vrook added. "If you're reckless and unwary you may easily fall into a trap or fall to the Dark Side. You must be cautious. The lure of the Dark Side is difficult to resist" he repeated what he said the previous day in the Council chambers.

"If you need knowledge as what you should do, feel free to contact us or the High Jedi Council on Coruscant," Dorak said. "We will aid you as much as we possibly can."

"Go, young Padawan," Vandar said, showing that the farewell was done. "And may the Force be with you" he added. Revan smiled as he looked at the small Jedi Master.

"May the Force be with you, Master" he replied. "With all of you," he added, looking at other three Council members. With that, he turned to the ship.

Bastila gave a deep bow towards the Masters and followed Revan to the Ebon Hawk. The loading ramp closed behind them and everyone gathered on the landing pad took few steps backward as the ship was being launched. The Jedi Masters had to keep their robes tightly as the wind threatened to blow them away.

The Ebon Hawk quickly left the atmosphere. T3 was standing at the computer terminal, setting the coordinates to Kashyyk. It wasn't long before the ship left the Dantooine system, jumping into hyperspace. They had a long route to the Wookies' homeworld.

* * *

Darth Malak was walking towards the bridge of his flagship. He was infuriated. Not only Revan was alive, but he was also out of his reach, as well as Bastila. On his way towards the command center of Leviathan, soldiers he passed saluted him. He didn't even bother to look at them.

"Lord Malak, the Star Forge is operating at two hundred percent capacity – far beyond our expectations" Admiral Karath reported, when the Dark Lord made his way towards the bridge.

"I am more interested in the young Jedi Bastila and her battle meditation" he replied with anger in his voice. "Have you learned how she escaped the destruction of Taris?"

"She was aided by Carth Onasi, a decorated war hero of the Republic and a legendary soldier" Saul answered. "During the Mandalorian Wars, he was honored many times for his bravery."

"You know this man?" Malak asked intrigued.

"Yes, Lord Malak" Admiral replied. "He served under me when I still followed the Republic. You could say I was his mentor."

"Interesting. How did you acquire this information, Admiral?" the Dark Lord asked with a neutral voice.

"An eyewitness, Lord Malak" Karath answered, mentioning at the doors. Malak turned around and saw a man dressed in a quite odd outfit walking towards them. He had a blue top, black trousers, and some strange white cap. He was also wearing goggles that were hiding his eyes.

"Calo Nord, a bounty hunter, was there when Bastila and Carth escaped the planet" Admiral reported. "Apparently they left him for dead."

"A Jedi and a war hero – it's a wonder you survived the encounter," Malak said impressed.

"I am hard to kill, Lord Malak" the bounty hunter answered simply.

"Calo has agreed to help us capture the young Bastila – for a very hefty fee, of course," Saul continued on. "But I assure you he is well worth the price. His reputation as a bounty hunter is well-earned."

"Her companions are nothing to me, Calo – but I desire the young Jedi taken alive if at all possible" Malak said to the bounty hunter.

"Lord Malak, forgive me" Admiral interjected. "There is something else. May we have a private audience away from the ears of the common soldiers?"

"I trust you are not wasting my time, Admiral Karath" the Dark Lord replied.

"I promise you will be very interested in what Calo has to tell about Bastila's other companions, Lord Malak" he replied. "Also, we have captured the last man loyal to… your former friend" he added and was immediately caught in the Force choke.

"Do not refer to him as my friend, Admiral" Malak warned him dropping the man. "He is my enemy."

"Of… of course, Lord Malak" he stuttered.

"Let's go then, Admiral," the Dark Lord said now with the peaceful voice. They left the bridge and headed towards the prison cells.

"The man we've captured is Atton Rand," Karath said as they were passing other rooms locked with the force field. "He was sent to the Unknown Regions by Revan months ago. He was supposed to investigate the Dromund Kaas. He returned a few hours ago and was immediately put in prison. We are waiting for your command as what to do with this man."

"Interesting" Malak commented simply. They reached the cell where the said man was being held. It was a light-skinned, young, human male with dark brown hair. He was lying unconscious in a small room. He wasn't wearing any chains or restrains. The force field was able to keep him secured since he wasn't a Jedi, though the Force was in him. In the time of Revan being the Dark Lord, Atton was his best assassin, except HK-47 of course. He was highly skilled in killing Jedi, what guaranteed him a high rank in the Sith Empire.

"Since he didn't know about the recent shift of power, we decided that he may cause some troubles" Admiral kept explaining. "He is the last man loyal to Revan. Shall we execute him as the others?" Karath asked intrigued.

"Patience, Admiral" Malak replied in an emotionless tone. His metallic voice was reflecting from the walls of the ship, returning to them louder in the echo. "Interrogate this man first. Find out why he was sent to Dromund Kaas. If you detect that he has nothing more to say, you can kill him" he finished.

"Of course, Lord Malak" he replied, bowing deeply.

"You said something about Bastila's other companions?" Malak urged him when the man straightened himself. Commander of the Sith fleet had a confused look for a moment and then his eyes widened in realization.

"Oh yes," he said with a slight blush. "Calo has reported that the Canderous Ordo was amongst them as well. I'm sure that you remember this man, Lord Malak? During the Mandalorian Wars, he used to be the field marshal, second only to Cassus Fett."

"A Mandalorian working with the Republic?" Malak asked with suspicion in his tone. "That's unusual."

"And here comes the biggest problem, Lord Malak" Karath added, looking at his feet. He visibly was afraid of telling what the bounty hunter communicated him. "Calo Nord believes that he has seen Revan's personal bodyguard. All three of them" he added. The Dark Lord's expression hasn't changed at that. Only his eyes took a deeper shade of gold. "He also said that they were following a young man with brown hair pulled backward" he finished.

Malak, even if he didn't show it, was infuriated. And a little afraid. Calo Nord has confirmed his worst gut feelings. Revan was alive and he accompanied Bastila. And if he knew well his former master, he could be sure that the General of the Republic army during the conflict with Mandalorians was going to reclaim the mantle of the Dark Lord.

Malak eyed the Admiral in front of him. He had a temptation of blowing off steam on that man, but he rethought that. Rarely he wasn't tormenting his men for delivering the bad news, but Karath proved himself a good and loyal servant. He watched as the said Admiral was slightly huddling in fear of the potential penalty.

"Straighten yourself, Admiral" Malak said without any trail of anger in his voice. Saul did as he was ordered, but still, he was looking at his feet. "I won't punish you. I suspected that Revan is alive. You have only confirmed that. That's not something that deserves a penalty."

"Thank you, Lord Malak" Karath answered, looking up at the Dark Lord.

"However, we have to take action" Malak continued. At that, Admiral Saul straighten himself even more, if that was possible, and entwined his hands behind his back. "The task I told you before is still topical. If Revan is alive, we have to make sure that he is being dealt with."

"I'm sure that Calo will take care of him. After an extra charge, of course," Karath said. Malak only shook his head.

"I have my suspicions as to the bounty hunter killing the Jedi," he said. "Even if I hate Revan, he still is powerful. I believe in Calo's reputation as the bounty hunter, but I doubt that he will be able to best him in combat.

"Nevertheless it's good to try," Karath said. "Perhaps he will be able to help us deal with that problem, sparing us some time."

"Perhaps, Admiral, perhaps."

"That's all I found out from Calo."

"Good, Saul" Malak replied, turning to leave. "I suggest you prepare the room for our guest, Admiral" he added and disappeared in the elevator. Karath bowed even if Malak didn't see it.

* * *

Atton woke up with a groan. After the consciousness returned to him, he realized that he was pinched to the table. He tried to look around, but the bright light that was coming from above didn't allow him to do so much.

But he managed to notice that he was almost naked. He felt the cold of the table on his back, as well as the metal around his wrists and ankles. He looked down and saw that he was wearing only the underwear.

"Ah, you're finally awake," a voice behind him said. Atton tried to see the man who spoke that, but he failed miserably.

"Yeah, I would be pleased, if I knew who I'm talking with" he replied in the usual cocky tone.

"You don't remember me already? Pity" the voice replied.

"Well, I'm pinned to the interrogation table and my vision is slightly lessened" he spat back, trying to keep his natural tone, not letting know the person that was there, that he was afraid.

"I assure you that you will remember my name for days to come," the man said coming into the light. When Atton saw his face he was forced to close his eyes immediately as the fist in a metal glove made contact with his midsection.

* * *

"The Star Map is located in the Shadowlands," Revan said. He was sitting with Bastila in her private quarters. "The device is highly protected, cause the Dark Side that emanates from it draws many creatures. This is the reason why I want you to stay on the ship."

Bastila looked at Revan as he suddenly grew up a second head. She had no intention to let him go alone.

"There is no way you're going on your own" she replied. "If there truly is dangerous then you will be needing help" she added, praying for him to understand her point of view.

"I didn't say I will go alone" Revan answered, taking her hands into his own to calm her. "I just said that I don't want to take you with me to the Shadowlands. There are things that can be too much for you. I just want to make sure that you will be alright" he reasoned. Bastila seemed to relax a bit at that, but still, she wanted to go with him. After all, who could take the better care for Revan than she?

"I want to go with you," she said sternly.

"What I told you wasn't a request" he answered in the same tone. "I announced you, that you're not coming down to the Shadowlands with me. I won't be alone, don't worry. Canderous will come with me, as well as my bodyguard. I will be safe" he added. He kissed her palms to help her see his reason.

Bastila smiled at his actions. At first, she was afraid when she realized that Revan regained his memories, but then the fear subsided, allowing happiness to take its place. She didn't feel so happy for the past four years and she couldn't imagine anything breaking it.

She pulled Revan's head upwards. He looked at her with love visible in his eyes. Her heart melted at that. Bastila brought his lips to her own, catching him in another deep kiss. She swore that their lips would be bruised next day, after a number of kisses they exchanged through the past hours, but she didn't care. She only cared about the man holding her in his arms.

* * *

Vrook was sitting in his quarters, trying to contain the anger that was building up in him.

He has just finished displaying a message that was delivered to him in a small datapad. The device used to lay under his pillow and now he was holding it with his hands, almost crushing it.

Inside was a message from Revan.

Not from Alen Royce, but from Revan – the fallen Jedi and Lord of the Sith. And this massage caused his blood to boil and his face turned into a fierce shade of red. The Ebon Hawk and its crew were away from Dantooine for sixteen hours already and he found this datapad no longer than a few minutes ago.

 _Dear Master Vrook,_ the image of Revan said, _I must congratulate you. I haven't expected you to find out the truth so quickly. But sending an assassin for me? Really? Is this a Jedi way? I highly doubt that. Nevertheless, I hope that Nemo is now one with the Force. I truly regret killing him – I'd rather duel you, at least I wouldn't feel any remorse if I killed you. But unfortunately you decided to send someone to do the dirty job for you, but he failed. I think that you have to take the matters into your own hands and fight me personally. I'll be waiting for you patiently. And may the Force serve you well, Master. Oh, and one more thing. I must congratulate your ability to pass the knowledge. Your apprentice is as arrogant and shortsighted as you are. Well, she used to be until I convinced her to follow me. I must admit that she has quite soft lips. See you soon, Master Vrook. I'm sure that we shall meet one day. I'm looking forward to this._

The old Jedi made his decision. He would challenge Revan. He had a permission from Atris to kill him, and he would do just that. Screw Malak and the Galaxy. Revan was a thorn in his side for far too long.

* * *

 **Well here comes another one. Let me know what you think about the events I portray and this story so far. If you like it, then you know what you are supposed to do. Until the next update, and may the Force be with you!**

 **Translation of Revan's and Canderous' talk:**

 **Usen'ye - rudest way to tell someone to go away.**

 **Motir Mando'ad - stand Mandalorian.**

 **I haven't found a phrase that would mean 'wake up' so I used the one closest to it. These words are the original Mando'a (it's on Wookieepedia).**


	26. Chapter 25

**Welcome again to the 'Price of the Sacrifice'. Add it to your favorites, follow it and leave a comment after reading this chapter. Also, I want to apologize for all grammar mistakes. I promise to correct them after I finish this story, cause I'm going to rewrite it.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 25

Revan woke up with a feeling of something heavy on his chest. He looked down only to notice Bastila laying partially on him. He smiled at the sight. The woman slightly above him had a pleased expression on her adorable face. It had to be something pleasurable what she was dreaming about.

The man tried to stand up but he quickly found out that Bastila effectively pinned him to the bed. She had her arms wrapped tightly around his torso. The young Jedi was snuggled against the former Dark Lord, not letting him go. Her head rested on his chest.

Revan watched with a content stare the woman who was sleeping on him. She looked extremely beautiful. In the moments like that, he was almost forgetting about his duties and the sad reality that surrounded him. All that mattered was Bastila.

A small gasp escaped her slightly parted lips. Her grip on him tightened a little. Revan caressed her hair softly. Bastila relaxed at that. Whatever she was dreaming about must have subsided at Revan's actions, cause she let out another moan – this time a happy one, and her expression lightened visibly.

Revan watched her for few more minutes until he felt her stirring slightly. Bastila let out a quite loud yawn and lifted her head from his chest. She stretched her arms, releasing Revan from her grip. It took her a moment to realize where she was, but when she did a huge smile found its way on her lips. The man who slept next to her returned the gesture.

"Good morning, my dear" Revan greeted her when he noticed that her consciousness returned to her fully. Bastila smiled lazily at that.

"Good morning, my love" she replied. The young Padawan leaned in order to place a kiss on the former Dark Lord's lips. He met her in a halfway.

What was meant to be only a brief peck on the lips has quickly turned into a deep and passionate kiss. Their lips collided in a battle for dominance with tongues playing the biggest role in this combat. Their mouths were sparring with each other, as they used to in their younger years when they were training their lightsabers skills. Bastila trailed her tongue on his lower lip, tasting the man underneath her.

Revan surprised her when he caught her tongue in his teeth, biting the muscle slightly. It caused more stimulation than pain. Bastila gasped at that, though that sound was completely nullified by the man's lips. She brought her hand to her face to pull back a strand of her hair that was falling on Revan's cheek.

She felt his hands on her back, as they were making their way on her. His fingers trailed the small muscles that covered her from behind. She shuddered slightly when Revan passed the place where her breast bindings were. In the previous day's make-out session Bastila lost her robe that was laying now somewhere on the floor of her quarters, though she didn't mind where exactly.

Bastila let out yet another moan when Revan's tongue trailed the path between her front teeth and her upper lip. She parted her mouth from his own in order to take a breath. She did it with a loud gasp.

Revan used this opportunity to attack her neck. At first, he kissed her all the way down from her jaw to her collarbone. Then, when he found the one particular spot, he attacked it with his mouth. Revan sucked gently at the place where the neck and a shoulder met. He bitted this spot and trailed his tongue on it. Bastila shuddered at that and let out a small gasp.

Revan's hand found its way to her side. The man tickled her, increasing the sensation with the Force that he channeled through his fingers. Bastila shuddered again, moaning with pleasure. She, in response, trailed her own hands on his torso that was also naked. The young Padawan touched the sensitive nipples on his chest, earning a small tremble from the man under her.

Revan moaned at her actions against the crook of her felt him tightening his grip around her. He almost pierced her skin with his fingernails, but only almost. Though there would be a red mark on that spot later that day, that was sure.

The former Dark Lord moved his hands from her hips to the round of her hips, and even further to the back of her legs. He trailed his fingers on her amazingly shaped butt. After a moment of tickling her there, he gripped it firmly. Bastila gasped again.

She returned her mouth to his own, craving for the warmth of his lips on her own ones. When their lips collided she felt immediately his tongue entering her. She gladly accepted him, meeting him in a halfway. Revan's grip on her butt tightened even more.

Bastila smirked a little against the former Dark Lord's mouth. A few years ago she was ready to abandon the Jedi Order, only to be with the man she loved. Later these thoughts escaped her mind when Revan returned from the Mandalorian wars as the Sith Lord. If she felt something to him, she was going to protect the Republic, as she swore, even if that meant killing her beloved one. She was somewhat prepared for that.

And now she found herself in a heavy make-out session with the man that threatened to crush the Republic like a small fly. It took only a few kisses, deep and passionate ones, on Dantooine to make her abandon any thoughts about the rightness of the Jedi Code. She preferred expressing her feelings towards Revan than following the teachings of the Masters. And she did just that.

"What's so funny?" Revan muttered against her lips. Bastila grinned.

"Nothing" she replied quietly, trying to urge to continue. "Keep go…" she added but she was cut off by Revan's mouth attacking her own one.

The former Dark Lord really enjoyed this moment. He liked to fake that he was no one, that saving the Galaxy wasn't his biggest priority. He was pleased when any thoughts about his duties left his mind and the only that remained was his wish to have a family. And in the moments like that when he was with Bastila, he was able to achieve such state.

He moved his hands on her back up to her neck. Then he returned, stopping on the thin material of her breast bindings. Using the Force, he unclipped it with the slightest movement slid it down shoulders. He opened his eye in order to catch a glimpse of her magnificent and delicious breasts.

"I thought that Jedi are forbidden of such an act," a girlish voice said from behind them. It was followed by a small couple on the bed immediately broke apart. Bastila brought a quilt to cover herself. She pressed it tightly to her chest, while Revan remained motionless. He was staring at the ceiling, trying to calm himself down. He begged that Mission didn't notice his obvious arousal. Thankfully, a small part of Bastila's cover remained on his legs.

"And I thought that it's a commonly known habit of knocking before opening the doors" he spat back, not bothering to look at her. He earned yet another giggle from the blue Twi'lek.

"Yeah, not amongst the thugs of the Taris' Undercity" she replied. "Nevertheless, we'll be dropping out of hyperspace in few minutes. I thought you may want to now" Mission added, and with that, she was gone.

The couple remained at the same spot. Revan looked at Bastila and smiled slightly.

She wore an expression that clearly said, that Mission should fall dead to the floor where she stood a few seconds ago. The Padawan's brows were furrowed and her eyes cast lightning better than Revan did. But, surprisingly, her eyes didn't turn gold.

Bastila directed her gaze at the man that still remained underneath her and her expression visibly lightened. Still being wrapped in a quilt, she leaned forward and rested herself against Revan, playing with his not that long hair.

"I guess we will have to move our little session for a later time" she murmured softly, looking at the former Dark Lord with love and lust. Revan wasn't sure which feeling was stronger, though when Bastila ground her hips on his loins, he stated that the second one. He moaned quietly at her actions.

"But, as soon as we find the Star Map on Kashyyyk, we are going to continue from where we have finished" she added in the same lustful tone. To strengthen her words she ground against Revan's crotch once again, feeling the bulge that appeared there a few minutes ago.

"Didn't know that you have this side of yourself, Bastila" Revan muttered in response. At that comment, her confidence faded quickly.

"Wh… What side? I'm just enjoying the moment, that's it! There's no 'this side' in me" she stuttered in her self-defense. Revan chuckled slightly at that.

"Yeah, sure" he answered, grinning widely at her.

"I'm telling the truth!" she exclaimed. She was hushed by the man under her immediately. "I haven't seen you for four years" she added with a quiet tone. "You have no idea what such waiting can do to a woman. I'm turned on, and, as soon as we leave this planet, I'm going to satisfy myself. So be prepared, cause I'm not done with you yet" she said, pointing at him with her finger. Revan chuckled at that and placed a delicate kiss on her lips.

* * *

"We're dropping out in 3… 2… 1… welcome to Kashyyk" Wolfie announced through the ship communicator. Revan entered the cockpit, being closely followed by Bastila.

Through the viewport, they saw the homeworld planet of the Wookies. The green world that was a shelter for not only Wookies but also many different species. Many of them being extremely dangerous ones. They were commonly met in the Shadowlands where the Star Map was located in. Revan remembered what terrors the surface of Kashyyk hid. And he wished that he won't be forced to face them again. He was powerful, but some things can be superior even to the Dark Lord himself.

The green orb was approaching rapidly. The Ebon Hawk shook a little when they entered the atmosphere. Carth and Wolfie guided the ship through the thick layer of clouds. When they passed them, Kashyyk has shown all of its glory.

The mighty trees of Wroshyr grew for hundreds of meters up. In their crowns was where Wookies built their villages. And it was the only place where they were able to land.

The Rwookrrorro village was approaching rapidly. The capital of Kashyyk was where the Star Map was located, underneath it, precisely.

As they got closer, the more details came to their eyes. They were able to make out shapes of Wookies walking in every direction. The haired humanoid creatures were closely followed by humans dressed in dark vests with light-orange sleeves. The Czerka employees. Revan's face twisted in a scowl. He had a questionable pleasure of a close encounter with this Corporation during the Mandalorian wars, and after. And he regretted every second of that. The mere thought of having to work with them caused the former Dark Lord to grimace even more.

The Ebon Hawk shook when the crown of Wroshyr tree hooked against the bottom of the ship. The persons standing in the cockpit almost lost their footing. Bastila clenched tightly to Revan to hold her balance.

"Oops… sorry" Carth mumbled as he maneuvered the Ebon Hawk to stabilize its flight. The Rwookrrorro village started to come in sight. The landing pad was approaching rapidly. The wooden platform contained dozens of living beings, walking in every direction. As they got nearer and nearer, the blurred shapes started to turn into detailed figures. Wookies, Ithorians and Czerka slavers walked away from the center of the landing pad, as the ship began the descent.

Wolfie opened the loading ramp when the Ebon Hawk hit the solid ground.

"Welcome to Kashyyk" Carth announced as the ship stabilized. The engines went dead and the two pilots stood up to leave the cockpit. They followed Revan and Bastila walking behind them to the interior.

"We must hurry here," Revan said to the crew gathered in the main room of the ship. "Our target is located somewhere in the Shadowlands. Canderous, Rex, and Fox will go with me" he received a collective nod from the said men. „The rest stay here. Carth, you, Wolfie and T3 will stay in the ship. You must be prepared for the immediate take-off. We will be leaving this planet as soon as we can. We have no time to lose" again, he received a confirmative nod.

"And what are we supposed to do?" Bastila asked. Revan turned to her with a frown on his face.

"Well, you can enjoy your time on Kashyyk" he replied with a small smirk on his lips. "Okay, move on," Revan said to the rest of the crew.

The group of seven moved to the loading ramp, though Revan remained in the interior for a while longer. Carth moved back to the cockpit, while T3 headed towards the cargo hold. The former Dark Lord walked to the second pilot.

"Be cautious" Revan whispered. "I have a bad feeling about this place. Remain on the ship and be ready to leave" he finished.

"What's going on?" Wolfie asked with a worried expression. He knew his General for a long time to know what that tone meant.

"I don't like this place. Something's not right."

"Yes, sir" the pilot replied. Revan followed the rest of the crew to the exit of the ship.

They were all now on the landing pad. The former Dark Lord noticed the Czerka slavers gawking at them, probably due to the fact that there were representatives of Twi'lek, Cathar, and Wookie species – the species commonly sold as slaves. Czerka employees would certainly be interested in them.

Revan expected some customs officer, but none came. It was… uncommon, to say the least. On the spaceports, where Czerka was present, was always someone who collected the toll for landing. He looked around cautiously. The employees were still gawking at them. They tried to do it at the biggest discrete they could afford, only to fail miserably. The former Dark Lord saw them carefully preparing weapons, though most probably they were set to stun the enemy. He noticed also the metal nets and the harpoons. Unwillingly, he brought his hand to his right thigh. The memory of his capture by Mandalorians was still present in his mind, even though the wound has ended long ago.

"Prepare your weapons" he murmured towards his companions. As one, they looked around. Revan's message alerted them. The Czerka employees started to walk cautiously towards them. Revan unclipped his lightsabers carefully from his belt. He didn't turn them on though. He waited for their move.

He relaxed visibly when an Ithorian came to them. He was wearing a Czerka uniform, though he was unarmed. Revan loosened his grip on his lightsabers, clipping them back to his belt.

"Greetings to you!" the alien exclaimed in his native dialect. "Err... while I am pleased to welcome you to planet G5-623, I do not see your ship on my docking schedule," he said. Revan quickly understood what that meant.

The Czerka Corporation had strict rules when it came to the usage of the spaceports. If the ship was not registered in their database, they were supposed to neutralize it.

"I'm sure that the Ebon Hawk is somewhere there," Revan said, raising his hands in a self-defense pose. The ship's register is 34-P7JK. It must be somewhere in the docking scheduler" he added, waving his hand delicately. Fortunately, the Ithorian minds were easy to manipulate. The Czerka customs officer looked at them with the realization.

"Ah yes, the Ebon Hawk," he said, after Revan's little influence. "Davik Kang's ship. You are most welcomed to the Kashyyk, and the Rwookrrorro village" the Ithorian said in his native dialect. "But you must pay a docking fee. One hundred Credits" he added. Revan let out a small sigh. Even after a Force suggestion, the lust for money remained in the Czerka employees.

"Very well" Revan replied with yet another sigh, pulling out a Credit chip. "I will pay the one hundred Credit fee" he finished, handing the alien the money. The customs officer gladly accepted it.

"You are welcomed on Edean, trade designation G5-623. Czerka Corporation welcomes your business. We should discuss your interests in my office" the Ithorian said.

"I don't think it will be necessary" he replied. The Ithorian nodded his head in agreement.

"Very well, you are free to and on Kashyyk anytime soon," the Czerka customs officer said, bowing slightly. With that, he turned to leave the landing pad.

Revan watched for a few seconds more the fading shape of the Ithorian. The figure walked into the building that didn't look like any architecture of Kashyyk. It was a Czerka office. The former Dark Lord stated it after a number of different decorations that the building had. And after the Czerka logo hanging right above the entrance, of course.

Revan and his companions walked away from the landing pad. The wooden planks creaked under their feet as they marched across the Great Walkway. On their way, they passed several Czerka Patrol Guards who were still gawking at them with weapons at ready.

"Be cautious" Revan whispered to those who followed him. "We are not welcomed here" he added, looking around. The Czerka employees avoided his gaze, but he noticed the looks they've exchanged with one another.

"Kashyyk… my home" Zaalbar said in the Wookie dialect to no one particular, as he looked around. "I should have prepared myself for coming here."

"Big Z, are you okay?" Mission asked her friend. She patted him on his shoulder, even though it was too high for her to reach.

"I didn't leave Kashyyk voluntarily. I was fleeing from slavers… but there was more."

"What do you mean?" the blue Twi'lek asked with a concern in her tone. Revan listened from a distance. Apparently, Mission didn't know about Zaalbar's past as much as she thought.

"I am an Exile" the Wookie roared. Thankfully the Czerka employees didn't understand this dialect. "The slavers on Kashyyk only took me after I was forced to leave my village home, twenty years ago."

 _Exile,_ Revan thought. This one word made him think of Meetra. He wondered where she was sent. If she was still alive. In his opinion, the exile was the worst fate of all. Being forced to leave everything behind, not being able to come back. And Meetra's sentence was one of the most brutalRevan could imagine.

"Why were you forced to leave?" Mission asked.

"My brother made deals with the slavers and allowed them to get a foothold. I found out and attacked him. The fight was stopped, but my father did not believe me when I told him about my brother's actions. I was made an exile, disowned by my home and people. I should not be here. They will not accept me back."

"Why didn't your father believe you?" this time it was Bastila who got intrigued. Revan kept listening from a distance, making sure to watch the Czerka Patrol Guards who passed them by.

"When I attacked my brother I was so mad… I used my claws. You don't know what that means to a Wookie." Zaalbar replied. "Our claws are tools, not weapons. To use them in battle is to become an animal. It is madness without honor. I am forever a mad-claw in the eyes of my people. Nothing I say is to be trusted. They were right to cast me out" he growled.

"Time has passed. Things will have changed" Mission said, trying to comfort him.

"The slavers are still here… The dock is theirs. I doubt anyone has risen to try and fight. Nothing has changed" Zaalbar said with a growl that resembled a resigned sigh. "I just hope I can prove myself to my people. It will be difficult to make them listen. I just don't know."

"We'll deal with them, if we have to, right?" Mission asked the rest of their group. She had a pleading look on her face.

"We will," Bastila said, comforting the younger girl. In response, she earned a small smile from a blue Twi'lek. The Jedi Padawan looked in Revan's direction.

"What?" he asked when he noticed Bastila looking at him intensively. She also had a pleading expression, just like Mission. "Okay, okay. We will help" he said after he realized what the Talravinian woman meant.

They walked towards the wooden doors that separated the landing pad from the rest of the Great Walkway. The two Czerka employees were standing there, guarding the passage.

"Hold here, spacers," an old man said to them, as they approached the gateway. "Czerka Corporation doesn't recommend traveling in wild Edean. Katarn attacks are especially bad right now. Wookie hunters usually keep numbers down, but I think they leave certain areas infested, just hoping a Czerka Guard will get killed."

"I'm going past you. I paid the landing pad" Revan replied, not bothering to listen to the old man.

"I won't stop you, but you leave this area at your own risk. We're here to protect the company, not you" the Czerka Patrol Guard replied. He and his companion stepped aside, as the wooden doors lifted up, revealing the Czerka-free Great Walkway. The former Dark Lord walked through the passage, his companions following closely behind.

Just as they stepped through the doors, they were immediately engaged in combat against the Forest Kinraths. This variant of creatures was much more dangerous than the ones on Dantooine. They contained a venom. A venom that Revan required to overcome the Rakghoul disease.

Bastila shrugged unwillingly. She hated these hairy creatures. In her younger years, she had a much too close encounter with them. Far closer than she would want. It didn't help that Revan, Alek, and Meetra found this situation extremely funny and were laughing at her in place of helping her. For few days to follow this event, she didn't talk to any of the three of them.

They quickly made their way through the walking, hairy, spider-like creatures. They weren't any challenging opponents. The mindless insects pose no threat towards the group of highly skilled warriors. It wasn't long before the wooden walkway was emptied from the Kinraths.

Revan knelt next to one of the dead Kinraths. He took off a small dagger and a phial. With one swift movement, he cut the Kinrath's skin, earning the droplets of a green liquid. He placed the small phial under the cut he has just made and waited patiently for it to be filled.

When he stood up he noticed a confused look, Bastila gave him. Then he realized that he hadn't told her about his little… problem anyone. He replied with an expression that clearly said _later._ Fortunately, Bastila was the only one to notice his actions. She gave a nod, saying that she understood and that she was waiting for the explanation.

"Can you sense it?" Zaalbar asked the group with a loud breath. "The wind… the sound… the smells? I feel it all now that we are away from the spaceport. The walkway is new, probably built by the slavers, but I remember these trees. My village is not far from here" he said, looking around with something that resembled satisfaction. His muscles relaxed visibly, as he took another deep breath, taking great delight in Kashyyk's environment.

They continued down the Great Walkway. It wasn't long before they were halted by a dark-haired Wookie.

"You are not permitted to pass into the Shadowlands" the Wookie Guard growled in his native dialect. "Only Chuundar may allow you entry. Especially when you bring filth such as this with you. This mad-claw has no place here!" he exclaimed with an angry gesticulation of his arms. His gaze was focused on Zaalbar who remained at the back of the group. Revan heard his Wookie companion growling quietly under his nose.

"Who are you to question my place?" Zaalbar replied with an anger in his tone. "You follow Chuundar into the arms of the outsiders!"

"And yet you travel with the outsiders yourself!" the Wookie Guard exclaimed back. "Speak no more! Chuundar will decide if you are permitted to enter the Shadowlands!"

Revan rolled his eyes. Apparently, the quest for the Star Map on Kashyyyk wouldn't go as quickly as it did two years ago. But he could leave this issue to Bastila and the rest.

"Where is this Wookie I need to see?" Revan asked with an annoyance clearly heard in his voice. The Wookie Guard growled slightly with an anger at the human's tone.

"Watch your tongue!" he roared. "You are the outsider here!" the Wookie added, raising his vibroblade.

"I'm not someone who can be threatened" Revan whispered at the Wookie. He brought his ignited lightsaber to the Guard's throat. "Now, I ask you again. Where is this Wookie I need to see?"

"Speak with Chuundar in the Rwookrrorro village" The Guard replied, still with anger in his tone. "He will decide if you are worthy."

"Thank you," Revan said, turning off his lightsaber.

They followed the Wookie Guard through the wooden walkway. The platform was attached to the large trunk of the Wroshyr tree. The trunk was few meters wide, but it was near the crown, so here it was quite small, compared to those on the surface.

Eventually, they found themselves in the area inhabited only by Wookies. They followed the Guard who guided them to a large wooden cabin where even more Wookies were standing as the guards. After the Kashyyk inhabitants finished a talk that was accompanied by angry growls and gesticulation, the wooden door leading to the cabin was opened, allowing the group to walk inside the building.

* * *

 **Okay, so here the chapter ends. Huh, it's been a while since I have updated this story (at least after comparing it to other updates), but I have a lot of staff at the school and at home so you know. I'll try to post a new chapter at least once for a week, I promise. And, as always, I invite you to write a comment, leave a favorite and follow this story, as well as me as an author, cause, in few months, the sequel will show on this account, and later a prequel! But that in the future. See you in the next update, guys!**


	27. Chapter 26

**Huh, it's been a while since the last update, but I'm proud to welcome you again in the 'Price of the Sacrifice'. As always I ask for reviews, 'favorites' and follows.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 26

Revan and his companions were led to a large cabin by the Wookiee Guard. The place was made entirely of wood what meant that Czerka didn't participate in building it, even though many employees of the Corporation were in there, as well as the Wookiees, of course.

At the far end of the cabin was standing a tall, dark-haired Wookiee who had a double-bladed vibroblade hanging on his back. He was wearing some kind of a necklace that was made out of feathers and some metal objects that resembled coins. They were of a dull gold color and had a visible discoloration on top.

There were also many Wookiee Guards in the cabin. Their fur was mostly of a brown color but few of them had darker or lighter shades of brown. Every one of them was wielding some kind of weapon, from a vibroblade to the crossbows and bowcasters.

The Czerka Guards were also present there. They stood in the room's corners with their blaster rifles resting against their legs. Every one of them had a bored expression. It was visible that they hated their job, especially when they could be sitting at the cantina in the spaceport area. But they had to follow their orders.

Revan and the rest were now standing in front of the dark-haired Wookiee. The former Dark Lord noticed that Zaalbar kept his head hanging low, avoiding the gaze of the other representative of his species.

"Step forwards and address mighty and wise Chuundar, outsider" the dark-haired Wookie roared in his native dialect. "I don't always allow visitors of your kind."

"You are flanked by Czerka slavers!" Zaalbar roared back, suddenly finding his courage. "Are they not outsiders? Or have you sold all of Kashyyyk to them?" he growled. Even if Revan didn't understand a Wookiee dialect perfectly, it was obvious that Zaalbar was infuriated, to say the least.

"Ah, brother Zaalbar" Chuundar growled, noticing the Wookiee. "You've been exiled a long time ago. You shouldn't speak in that tone. Things are different now. You are a mad-claw without honor. You have no voice amongst your own people. I, on the other hand, am Chieftain."

Revan now understood Zaalbar's sudden outburst. This what the Wookiee has said back on the Kashyyyk's spaceport has finally started to make some sense. His brother, the exile, and all the rest were now unitizing. And, despite how little time they actually had, he couldn't stand the thought of letting Czerka continue their work here.

"Ignore him, Chuundar," the former Dark Lord said, earning the attention of every Wookiee in the cabin. "You are dealing with me now."

"I would watch your words if I were you" the dark-haired Wookiee roared. His expression visibly angered, as he watched the young man.

"I would say it's you who has to watch the words" Revan replied. "If you've made deals with slavers, the truth will get out eventually."

"You may talk, but no one will believe you. I've had a long time to guide what my people think. They trust me, the mighty Chuundar. Even with my brother insane and father enslaved, I rose to protect my people despite it all."

"Farther was enslaved?" Zaalbar interjected. "'Mighty Chuundar'? What are you talking about? You were the runt!" he roared with anger.

"I am no runt!" Chuundar roared back, hitting the brown-haired Wookiee, causing him to fall to the floor. "Like I said, _Zaalbar,_ a lot has changed in your years away. We will discuss this soon enough."

"Is there a point to this?" Revan interjected, stepping forward. "If this will lead o a fight, I'd like to get to it."

Revan's words got the never-ending attention of the Wookiees gathered with their chieftain. They let out a series of growls and roars to express the anger, the Revan's words drove them into. The haired humanoid creatures prepared their weapons and began their advance, but they were called off by Chuundar. The Wookiee chieftain let out a loud roar that caused the walls of the cabin to tremble. The effect was immediate. The other inhabitants ofKashyyyk went silent and stopped their advance.

"You are brave, human" Chuundar said in the Wookiee dialect. "Not many have the courage to talk like that to the chieftain. It speaks good of you, as a warrior."

"I know who I am, Chuundar, and I don't need to hear it from you" Revan replied, straightening his posture. It made him look few centimeters higher than he was in the reality. It also made his appearance slightly more intimidating. "I've come to Kashyyyk for a specific purpose, and certainly not to mess into your relations with your brother. I need to get to the Shadowlands, to the surface of Kashyyyk. And in order to do so, I need your permission, chieftain."

The dark-haired Wookiee gritted his teeth. It was unusual for an outsider to speak like that to the chieftain. The man seemed not to care about the fact that he was amongst the Wookiee tribe where Czerka didn't protect the off-worlders. But the man had the posture of a warrior – something the Wookiees respected. This spoke well about the outsider in the Jedi robes.

"And why do you think that I will allow you to go down to the surface?" Chuundar growled after thinking about the man's request.

"Because we were sent here on a very important mission" Bastila interjected, stepping forward. "We ask you, Chieftain, allow us to go down."

"And what is this mission?" Chuundar asked.

"We must find an ancient device that will help us stop the Sith, and save the Galaxy."

"This war between the Republic and the Sith is none of my concern. Kashyyyk is neutral, and I'd rather keep it that way. I do not have to help you in your quest, and I don't intend to do so. Now leave before I lose my patience, but the mad-claw will stay here."

"What?!" Mission exclaimed with anger. She tried to make her way towards Zaalbar as he was being taken away by the Wookiee guards. "You cannot take him, he's my friend!" she tried to get to Zaalbar but was effectively blocked by the guards.

"The mad-claw belongs in here," Chuundar said, ignoring the blue Twi'lek's yells. "His place is in here, amongst his own people. Take them out!" he ordered to other Wookiee guards. The crew of the Ebon Hawk was led outside while Mission tried to get back to the cabin, screaming in the process. She was scratching the doors in order to enter the throne room again.

"You can't take him from me!" Mission yelled, hitting the wooden doors, but it was pointless. The entrance wasn't giving in and no one on the other side replied. She was punching the wood, but with every hit, her strength was fading, and after a brief moment she was leaning against the doors, sobbing slightly.

"Come, Mission," Revan said softly, as he put an arm around her shoulder. He tried to lift her up, but the blue Twi'lek was clinging tightly against the doors.

"No! I'm not leaving him!" she replied.

"There's nothing we can do for him now. Come" Revan said softly, using the Force to lift her up. The blue Twi'lek gave up to the gentle grasp that enfolded her. She allowed the invisible force to lift her up. She didn't protest as she landed in Revan's arms. "We'll find the way to save him. I promise" he whispered softly at her. Mission slowly drifted to sleep in the man's arms, due to the tiredness that surrounded her.

"Let's go back to the ship. There we will decide what to do next" Revan said to the rest of the group. They silently complied.

* * *

Revan laid Mission gently on the bed in her quarters after they reached the Ebon Hawk. The blue Twi'lek was now peaceful, but still, the trails of tears were visible on her face. The girlnow tugged herself to the mattress, her expression relaxing visibly.

The former Dark Lord walked out from the Mission's quarters, and, just as during their arrival on Dantooine, he stumbled upon Bastila. She had a worried expression. Her arms were crossed on her chest and her brows were furrowed as she was looking at the blue Twi'lek who was laying on a bed in her quarters. Her grey eyes expressed a deep concern about the girl's current status.

"What are we going to do with her, Revan?" she whispered to the man who walked out from the Twi'lek's room.

"I don't know yet" he replied in the same tone, letting out a small sigh. He certainly wasn't going to abandon Zaalbar, even if that meant a delay of their mission. He truly hated Czerka and, if that was possible, he would do everything to make their business here on Kashyyyk much more difficult.

They entered the interior of the ship where the rest of the crew was gathered. Their first day on Kashyyyk was completely wasted. They've arrived when the sun was setting down and had accomplished nothing – they've only lost one hundred credits and the member of their small team. Revan surely couldn't call it a progress.

"We're done for today" he announced. Eyes of everybody gathered in the interior rested on him. "It's not wise to wander on Kashyyyk after the sundown. We wait until morning, and with the first rays of the sun, we continue our mission. Go get some rest."

With that everyone went to their own quarters, leaving Revan and Bastila alone in the interior. The former Dark Lord was thinking intensively about the events of the past day, and the woman was watching him carefully. Any thoughts about 'satisfying herself' abandoned her in that moment. Despite how much she wanted it, she couldn't just allow her passion to take over when the success of their mission was uncertain. She could wait a while longer. She was capable of that.

Revan was studying the map of the Rwookrrorro village that T3 has managed to download when they were amongst the Wookiees. Except for the lift that was located in the Upper Shadowlands, there was no other way to the surface of Kashyyyk. At least no legal way.

"Do you have something on your mind?" Bastila asked gently after a moment of silence. Revan let out a deep sigh and turned away from the holoprojector.

"I must find a way to get to the surface" he replied softly, rubbing his eyes. Even if he was sleeping not that long time ago, he was somewhat tired. "The Star Map is located there, and without the lift, we don't have much of a choice on how to get there."

"And how exactly have you got there the first time?"

Revan smiled widely at the memory.

"I had a crash-landing" he replied with a small laugh that escaped his lips. "I and Alek crashed somewhere on the surface. It took us a good week to locate the Star Map. Many times we found ourselves walking in circles."

Bastila laughed slightly at that. She could imagine her beloved one and his former best friend wandering across the giant forest that covered almost the entire surface of Kashyyyk.

"And just how exactly have you left the planet?"

"Our fleet was in this system. We have simply sent a signal for a ship to take us from Kashyyyk. If nothing has changed, our crashed ship is still somewhere on the surface."

"Alen?" a voice, coming from the hall that was leading to the cockpit, interrupted them. Revan looked up to see Wolfie. His right eye was gazing intensively into him.

"Relax. She knows" he replied. He didn't have to clarify what he meant – the pilot understood immediately, though it didn't cause him to relax.

"We have a problem."

"What is it?"

"The Czerka Corporation found our ship intriguing."

"What do you mean?"

"When you were out I've noticed many of the employees watching the Ebon Hawk. At first, I thought it was nothing, but more and more of them were coming. They had prepared the nets and harpoons. I think that they have found interest in few members of our crew."

Revan nodded slightly at that. It was as he feared it may be. How could he be so stupid! It was sure that such corporation as Czerka would be interested in potential slaves, and such species like Cathars, Twi'leks, and Wookiees were the perfect opportunity. Even Bastila was in their eyes a potential prey, due to her impressive woman physicality. Her young age, her matured body, and exotic appearance made her a perfect candidate for a sex slave. The Hutts especially would be very interested in her. And the Hutts could pay a lot of Credits.

"What is it, Revan?" Bastila asked quietly, a small trail of fear was heard in her voice.

"You're not safe here."

"Wh… what do you mean?"

"I'll explain it tomorrow. Wolfie, make sure to lock the ship for the night. No one is allowed to enter the Ebon Hawk without my permission. And if someone does, you are allowed to slay him. Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord" he replied and gave a military salute. With that, he turned back to the cockpit to execute Revan's orders.

"What's going on, Rev?" Bastila asked again, using the nickname she gave him years ago.

"There will be a change of the plans. I'll go to the Shadowlands without anyone" he replied, looking at her with worry in his eyes. Bastila's orbs widened in shock at that.

"What?! Are you mad? You can't go alone!"

Revan smirked at her and patted her shoulder.

"I won't be alone."

* * *

Atris was eyeing the faces of the fellow Jedi Masters, gathered in the Council chambers. She has summoned them in the serious matter, Vrook told her about. Thankfully, all of the Masters answered the call.

The only one missing was Master Vandar, though he was on his way. His age made him walk slower than he used to over a century ago.

A quiet clinging of a wooden stick hitting the marble floor interrupted the silence. Atris, just as she expected, saw a small green alien making his way towards his sit.

Now they were all gathered here. All twelve Jedi Masters have answered the call. They could begin.

"I haven't summoned you without reason" Atris began. "I've received words that Revan has regained his memories, and is fully aware of who he truly is."

This caused other Jedi Masters to look on concern at each other. The only one gathered in the Council chambers who didn't look surprised, except Vrook of course, were Master Vandar and Master Nomi.

"Vrook has told me that he is sure of it. The question is: what are we going to do with Revan?"

"And why are we supposed to do with him anything?" Master Nomi asked.

"Because he is a threat" Atris replied. "As long as he lives, he is a potential danger towards the Galaxy. He must be dealt with."

"I think there is a more personal thing in you about dealing with Revan than only the potential threat he might be, Atris," Master Vandar said. This caught the attention of every Jedi Master in the chamber. The small, green Jedi rarely spoke anything during the Council meetings.

"And what is that supposed to mean, Master Vandar?"

"You know what I mean, Atris. When Revan was put in a trial before us I didn't sense a Dark Side in him, and I bet none of us did. In my opinion, you're holding a personal grudge towards Revan, you and Master Vrook. You hold it against him that he set to the Mandalorian Wars, that he did what he thought was right."

"Do you hear yourself, Master Vandar? Do you hear what you're saying? You know that the Mandalorian Wars brought nothing, but another war, led by Darth Revan. You know what he did to the Galaxy, to Telos IV. If he didn't face the Mandalorians, the horrors he brought upon us would not have happened. Countless Jedi Knights would be still alive, and would be loyal to the Code!" Atris exclaimed with anger.

"All of us know that it was Malak who ordered the bombardment of Telos, not Revan" Vandar replied calmly. "And if he didn't stop the Mandalorians, we would most likely be having this meeting of the Council in the Mando'a."

"Do you mean that you approve Revan's actions during the Mandalorian Wars? That you approve the aggression he showed towards the Mandalorians?"

"I don't, but face the facts, Atris. Revan's crusade against the Mandalorians saved the Republic. Without him, the Core Worlds would have fallen. His actions, even if based on emotions, have saved the Galaxy from the conquering nature of the Mandalorians. The Republic owes him freedom."

"I don't believe my ears. Revan's actions during the Mandalorian Wars brought nothing, but more destruction and death. If his crusade was stopped before it has even begun, countless lives could be saved. Countless Jedi could be saved both from the Dark Side and death. There is no justification for his actions! We must put an end to Revan, while we can!"

"I thought that the Code says something about the sanctity of all life" Vandar muttered softly. "Now I see that it does not count for certain persons?"

"How dare you speak to me like that? Years ago we've agreed that Revan must be punished!"

"And we did punish him."

"And what of it?" Vrook interjected."He is somewhere out there with Bastila, looking for this what he found after the Mandalorian Wars. And the Force alone knows what is going to happen when he finds it. Perhaps he will turn on us once again, and will bring yet another war, far more destructive, than this one."

"And what actual proof do we have that Revan is someone who poses any kind of threat towards all of us?"

"I've found this message when Revan left Dantooine" Master Vrook replied calmly, taking out a small datapad from inside of his robes. The small device was commonly used to send a text message or a recording of the holoprojection. Vrook turned it on. The Council chambers were filled with a blue hologram that resembled Revan.

 _"Dear Master Vrook,_ the image of Revan said, _I must congratulate you. I haven't expected you to find out the truth so quickly. But sending an assassin for me? Really? Is this a Jedi way? I highly doubt that. Nevertheless, I hope that Nemo is now one with the Force. I truly regret killing him – I'd rather duel you, at least I wouldn't feel any remorse if I killed you. But unfortunately you decided to send someone to do the dirty job for you, but he failed. I think that you have to take the matters into your own hands and fight me personally. I'll be waiting for you patiently. And may the Force serve you well, Master. Oh, and one more thing. I must congratulate your ability to pass the knowledge. Your apprentice is as arrogant and shortsighted as you are. Well, she used to be until I convinced her to follow me. I must admit that she has quite soft lips. See you soon, Master Vrook. I'm sure that we shall meet one day. I'm looking forward to this."_

The Jedi Masters were silent when the holoprojector went dead. Everyone had their own thoughts about the message. The members of the Council who were sympathetic towards Atris' reasonwere interested in what the projection of Revan said about Nemo, Bastila and the official Sith farewell.

The rest of the Council, though there was no more than two members of them, were intrigued by Revan's mentioning about Vrook sending an assassin on the former Dark Lord, even if that was Nemo. If that was true, it was an obvious proof that Vrook has broken the Jedi Code plainly.

The Council was still silent. They were torn apart by Revan's message. None of them knew what to do or say in this matter. Everyone was thinking about the hologram they've just seen until Vrook decided to break the spell.

"Just as you've heard, Revan is fully aware of who he is, and, what's even worse, he has Bastila with him," Vrook said, ignoring all the rest of Revan's message. "We must do something with him, and I disagree with Master Vandar about his case. If we do not stop Revan today, he will come back to haunt us tomorrow. He is a threat towards the Jedi Order, the Republic and the entire Galaxy itself! As the swore protectors, we must do something to eliminate the potential threat he is."

"The swore protectors?" Vandar replied. "We did nothing when the Mandalorians invaded the Republic that every one of us promised to save. When we were knighted a part of our oath was to do everything to protect the Republic."

"And that is what we will be doing right now" Vrook interjected.

"I agree with Master Vrook," Atris said. The other seven Masters nodded their heads in agreement. The only ones to not agree were Master Vandar and Master Nomi. "Someone must take care of him, and it has to be done quickly."

"I will do it," Vrook said with a confidence written on his face. "I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"Good. Then I think that the meeting is over" Atris said calmly, standing up to leave. The others followed her lead.

* * *

"That's not good," Vandar said when he and Nomi were walking through the corridor of the Jedi Temple.

"Definitely. But what are we going to do about it?" the red-haired woman asked, as they were passing by other Jedi Knights.

"Vrook is not going to stop. Revan must be warned" Vandar replied after a moment of silence. "I'll see to it."

"And just how exactly Vrook is going to know where Revan is? We know that he is on Kashyyyk right now, but later what? He won't know."

"He will. He sent someone with Revan, someone that reports his every move. Vrook knows everything about his doings. And that is why I must warn him."

"You seem to be so sure about Revan's case. Why?"

"Back on Dantooine, he has told me something. Something we didn't know. Basing on his body language, and his behavior, I can say he was speaking the truth. And at the very same day, he asked me to do something incredibly difficult."

"And what is that?"

"He asked me to make the Republic step aside."

* * *

"So, murderer, why were you sent to Dromund Kaas?" a man called Vaklu asked for a hundredth time that day. Despite the lack of answers, his patience wasn't growing thin. His hand ran across Atton's body, and new cuts were forming on the spots where his knife met with a skin.

"I've… I've told you already" the man pinned to the interrogation table, nicknamed Jaq, replied. "I have no idea what you're talking about" he lied. Only I know where you go. And it must remain that way, Revan's words echoed in his skull, even if his body was broken to the point where he didn't feel pain anymore.

"You're lying, Atton. You were sent to the Unknown Regions by Darth Revan on a special mission, not on vacation. Now you have come back, thinking that you will report your progress to Darth Revan, but here is some news for you to catch up with. There is no Lord Revan here anymore, there is only Lord Malak. And if you are still loyal to the Empire, then you will surely tell what you were going to your master. And if you have betrayed the Empire, you will quickly learn that it would be best for you to stay on Dromund Kaas."

"You think you can threaten me? I was an interrogator, and I know how to endure the interrogation process, I came up with."

"You were the interrogator, that is correct. But you've missed one thing. You served under Revan, and I serve under Malak. That's a big difference. You think that because your neurons are not noticing pain now is going to protect you? You're sorely mistaken. I'll show you that nothing can save you from suffering that will come to you unless you tell me why you were sent to Dromund Kaas."

"I'm not afraid. And when Lord Revan comes back…"

"And here is something you don't know yet. Lord Revan is not going to come back to rescue you. Not today, or any other day for that matter. There is only me, you and Lord Malak. And I'm sure you know his reputation when it comes to dealing with the prisoners?"

Vaklu now noticed this what he wanted. A trail of fear on Atton's face. Revan was cruel, but he had some sort of self-control when it came to interrogating the prisoners. But Malak didn't have even that. Every prisoner that was at his mercy was turned into a shell of a living being, thanks to Malak's methods. It was something everyone in the Empire knew, including Atton.

"So, you are afraid after all. Good. I'm sure it will help us, and I think that it will make you more… cooperative. So, I ask you again. Why were you sent to Dromund Kaas?" Vaklu asked. This time though, Atton didn't reply in any way. He was dead silent. The interrogator smiled widely at that. He was very close to breaking the man. "I see you want it even the harder way than before? So be it."

With that he pressed some buttons on a console that was standing not far from the table, Atton was laying on. Immediately, the man's body stretched from the enormous pain he felt. And then, the blackness took him again.

* * *

 _ **Okay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Write a comment, leave a favorite and follow this story, if you haven't done it yet. See you next time!**_


	28. Chapter 27

**Woah, my story has already passed the magic number of 10 000 views overall. On that account I want to thank all of you who support my work – it means a lot to me and it helps me to want to continue this story. I thank you for your reviews, your understanding towards mine, sometimes better and sometimes worse, writing style and grammar. I appreciate your help and support, but I also ask you to continue it – write more reviews, give more favorites, and follow this story XD. Okay, enough talking for today, let's move to the chapter!**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 27

Revan held his breath as he was carefully applying the Kinrath venom to the wound on his right shoulder. He was holding a leather belt between his teeth when the green, dense liquid made the contact with his skin. It seemed that his skin was lit on fire. The poison caused him to shut his eyes tightly and clench his teeth. If he didn't have the leather belt, he would be screaming, or he would crush his teeth. He felt a small tear making its way down his cheek. When the pain subsided, he opened his eyes and blinked few times in order to get rid of the wetness that formed in them.

Revan looked down on his shoulder. The Kinrath venom caused, even more, pain than disinfecting the wound with kolto, but it was bringing some results. Constant sanitizing the gash made it look less threatening than back on Dantooine. At least nobody fluids were draining from it. The wound looked much more sterile right now. The flesh around it wasn't fiercely red anymore, but it had a more faded shade of red. The scab was covering the spot where Rakghoul's claws made the contact with his skin. The wound has also dwindled in size, but it was far from mending.

Revan dropped the leather belt that he was holding with his teeth. The pain has subsided to the point where it was endurable. He has done everything that he could for the time being, and now he could only wait and pray that it was enough. According to the instruction he had found in the Archives on Dantooine, the Kinrath venom was fairly good to temporarily stop the Rakghoul poison from spreading through his bloodstream. It gave him some additional time for finding the ingredients that were necessary to create the antidote. But that didn't mean that he could rest peacefully. He was already feeling the effects of the Rakghoul venom in his body. He felt something odd building inside of him, and his fighting skills have lessened drastically. He noticed that his moves started to be much more clumsy and uncoordinated – something that was never happening before.

Revan picked up a pile of bandages that were soaked in kolto and tied them carefully around his right shoulder. The substance didn't cause pain anymore because the wound was sterile already. It took him some time to disinfect it, but finally, it was done. The bandages weren't necessary anymore, but it was better to play it safe and protect the wound from reopening. The former Dark Lord lifted his head when he felt someone else in his quarters.

Just as he expected, there was Bastila, standing at the doorframe. She was leaning against it. The woman had a small, lazy smile on her face, and a hazy stare – the evident sign that she had just woken up. Her arms were crossed on her chest, and she was wearing something that looked like the covers from her bed. It was obvious that she wasn't wearing much underneath them.

"What are you doing here?" Revan asked when he noticed the Jedi Padawan. The previous day they have fallen asleep together in her quarters, but the man had to sneak out from Bastila's room and head towards his own quarters.

"I woke up when I have suddenly felt cold, and I was searching for my favorite pillow, only to realize that it's not there. When I have opened my eyes I noticed that it was true, and in fact, no one was in my quarters. It was then when I felt the pain coming to me through the Bond you and I share, so I went to find you, and here I am" she explained with somewhat bored tone. She walked fully into Revan's quarters and closed the door behind herself. "You must realize that you cannot hide everything from me, Rev. I will sense it, sooner or later."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's alright if you care to explain what you're doing" she replied, sitting next to the man on his bed. Revan let out a small sigh. "You owe me the explanation, don't you remember?"

"I remember" he muttered quietly.

"So?" she encouraged him.

"Back on Taris, before we rescued you, we have encountered some strange creatures" Revan began. "During the fight with them, I have accidentally got wounded. In the beginning, I thought it was nothing, but, with the passing of the time, I realized that it was something more dangerous. It began to grow, change colors and it pained terribly. This and Mission has told me that these creatures are, or rather, were, highly poisonous. Do you remember when you found me in the Archives on Dantooine?" he asked, and, after receiving a confirmatory nod, he continued. "I was searching there for some information concerning these creatures. Amongst many other recommendations, it was written that I will be needing a different venom, in order to defeat the first one. That's why I did what I did with the Kinraths."

"Well, that explains a lot" Bastila commented after a moment of silence. "Including the bandages on your shoulder."

"So you've noticed?"

"We've been making out in my bed, practically naked for few hours. It's as clear as day that I would notice it."

"And yet, you've said nothing about that," he said, teasing her.

"Let's just say that I had something much more important to attend to" Bastila replied with a dreamy smile. She ran a hand through his hair. Revan closed his eyes in delight.

Bastila smiled at the man's reactions at her touch. His hair, normally pulled backward, were now in a mess, and they were sticking out in every direction. The woman was contemplating about how soft they actually were – it was something that always intrigued her. And Revan's reactions at her touch only encouraged her to do more. She moved her hand from his hair lower to his chin that was covered in stubble. Revan always took care to reduce the length of his facial hair, but he wasn't shaving every day. And a small stinging certainly didn't bother her.

Revan was on cloud nine at that time. Bastila's actions always caused him to relax, and this time was no different. He smiled dreamily, just as his beloved one, and closed his eyes in delight. When he was checking the time on Kashyyyk on his datapad, it showed that there were left few hours till the morning. Perhaps they could enjoy themselves before their mission, and…

 _Revan,_ a voice in his head whispered. The man opened his eyes and moved away from Bastila's touch. The young Jedi looked at him with concern and something that resembled hurt in her eyes.

"Did you say something?" he asked with a concern in his voice.

"No" Bastila replied simply, and continued her actions. She leaned now closer to him in order to kiss the man who was sitting with her on the bed. Revan met her in a halfway.

Their lips and tongues were fighting for dominance, while Bastila's hands were making their way through his hair. Revan in response moved his hands to the young Padawan's sides, tickling her in that particular spot. She smiled against his lips at his action. The former Dark Lord moved his palms to the edge of the bed sheets that covered her form, and opened them a little, making contact with her skin. It caused Bastila to gasp slightly.

 _Revan_ said the same voice. Revan again moved away from Bastila, earning a disappointed sigh from Bastila.

"What is it?" she whispered lightly at him.

"Can we move this for later?" he asked, and, without waiting for the response, stood up, leaving Bastila with her mouth wide opened. She watched without understanding as Revan put on his shirt and left his quarters, heading towards the back of the ship.

Revan wiped his face. He couldn't get enough sleep, and, when he had an opportunity to get some rest with the woman he loved, something had to get in his way, as usual. And everything he wanted to do right now was to find out who it was who refused to give him the five minutes in paradise with Bastila that he deserved.

 _Revan,_ the voice repeated for the third time. It was a familiar voice and was coming from nowhere particular. Revan wondered for a moment if it was Malak who contacted him. That was somewhat unreal, but not impossible. After all, they used to have a deep connection between each other. It was possible that the current Dark Lord of the Sith tried to find him through their shattered bond.

 _I'm not Malak,_ the voice whispered. Revan stopped in his trucks. He sat down in the cargo hold and closed his eyes. He drifted with his thoughts to the spot where the voice was coming from.

* * *

" _You have no idea how difficult it was to find you and make contact with you" the voice that turned out to belong to Master Vandar said. Revan was watching the spot in front of him where the small, green alien has suddenly materialized. As usual, he was walking with the support of the wooden stick._

" _What is it so serious that you contact me, Master?" Revan asked. Even if it was happening in his mind, or Vandar's mind, it resembled the real conversation in every matter. He had to admit it: Master Vandar was great when it came to creating such illusions. He could do something like that, but not at such scale._

" _The High Council had a meeting today, arranged by Atris. It concerned you. Vrook has told Atris about everything, amongst other things that you have regained your memories. What the hell have you been thinking when you left him that message?" he asked, almost enraged._

" _So he has shown it?"_

" _Yes, and I can say that it wasn't your best idea, Revan" he replied and he scowled when the younger man only grinned in the response. "I'm not kidding, Revan. If this what you have told me over one month ago is true, you have put it in a great risk. The Council has agreed to one thing. The threat you pose must be removed."_

" _What? The Council has to be undivided in their decisions. All twelve of you had to agree to it."_

 _"I and Nomi were against it, I swear. But the other ten were unconvinced. Atris, Vrook and the rest have agreed that you must be dealt with."_

 _Revan wiped his face, even if only it was in his imagination. He has never considered the possibility that the Jedi High Council would move to such a thing as a murderer. He didn't know what he was supposed to think about it. The whole situation seemed to be so… unreal._

" _So what happens now?" Revan asked. He wasn't smirking anymore. He fully understood the seriousness of the matter he was now in._

" _Vrook said that he is going to take care of you. From what I understood from the message you left, that's something that you also want. Revan, the rest of the Council wants you to be dead. In their eyes, we have done a mistake leaving you alive. You are not protected by the Code anymore, Revan. Vrook will not stop at anything in order to deal with you. You must be careful."_

" _I will be, Master" he muttered. "Is there something else?"_

" _Be mindful of what you're doing with Bastila. The Code forbids of such attachments, and you know it."_

" _You cannot hold me to the Jedi rules" he replied, smiling again._

 _"You're not a Jedi, I know it. But Bastila is a Padawan, and she wants to become a Jedi Knight. I understand your… mutual attraction and relationship, but do not push it further than you already have."_

" _Of course, Master" he muttered quietly._

" _I'll try to contact you again, Revan. Be careful. Vrook will try to find you, and he'll do everything in order to do it. And do not underestimate him. Even if he's old, he still is powerful. And he knows your every move."_

" _How is that so?"_

" _You have a spy in your crew. Someone who reports him your doings. You cannot hide from him" the old Jedi Master said, and with that, the connection was broken._

* * *

Revan opened his eyes and found himself in the empty cargo hold. He didn't see Bastila leaning against the doorframe, as he expected. He lifted himself up from the floor and walked towards the interior. He felt exhausted. He was sitting up till late at night, working on his wound, and now Master Vandar told him something like that. It was ridiculous. And if it was true what he said about the spy in his crew, he had to hurry his ass in finding the Star Map. Vrook could be already on his way to Kashyyyk, and that would mean that he had no more than ten hours to leave the planet. He wanted to deal with that old fool, but he couldn't do it in the area controlled by the Czerka Corporation.

Revan leaned against the holoprojector that stood in the middle of the interior. He had already an idea of what to do, and now he only had to announce it to the rest of the crew. Or at least a part of his plan.

"What took you so long?" the voice that undoubtedly belonged to Bastila asked. Revan lifted his eyes and saw her entering the interior. She was now fully dressed in her regular, Jedi-unlike robes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you were sitting in the cargo hold for few hours" she answered, coming closer to him. When she got close enough to touch him, she embraced him and put a head on his shoulder.

"Few hours?" he asked with disbelief. "To me, it was no more than five minutes."

"Well, but in fact, you were out there for over three hours. I tried to move you, but you didn't react to my touch, nor to my words so I left you where you were."

"What time is it now?"

"The sun is rising. You have a great sense of time."

Revan wiped his face again. It was impossible for such short conversation to last for three hours, wasn't it? And it also lessened the amount of time they had for their mission.

"Wake up the rest of the crew," he said to Bastila. She nodded in response. "We have a lot to do, and we don't have much time."

"And why is that?"

"Because your master is haunting me down."

"What?!" she exclaimed with disbelief.

"That's something I've learned moments ago. I don't know how, but Master Vandar contacted me and told me about it. Apparently, the Jedi Council decided to remove me from their list of threats."

"You're insane" she replied and moved to the living quarters of the Ebon Hawk. In mere minutes everyone was wide awake and in the interior of the ship. They didn't look particularly happy, due to the fact that they were awakened so early. Revan noticed that Mission had an emotionless expression – a testimony that she still hadn't come to terms with the loss of Zaalbar.

"There is a change of plans" Revan announced when everyone was gathered around the holoprojector. "I'm going to the Shadowlands alone," he said. His words brought overall agitation amongst the members of the crew.

"Alone? But you will be…" Fox tried to say but was quickly cut off by Revan.

"I can handle there for myself, I assure you. There is a reason why you must stay here. Czerka has found our ship interesting, and more precisely: few members of our crew. I hate to say it, but Bastila, Mission, and Juhani are in danger. They pose a potential prey for the slavers, as well as Zaalbar. For our luck, or bad luck, his brother has him, but we must rescue him. He's a part of our team, and we're not leaving anyone behind. So as long as we stay on Kashyyyk, no one is allowed to walk alone. I don't care if you are Jedi, thugs or skilled warriors, no one can be alone, understood?" he asked the crew members of the Ebon Hawk. He earned a confirmative nod in response. "Good. I'd rather want you to be all the time in the group, but, eventually, you'll have to separate. I need you to go in couples. Rex, you are responsible for Juhani's safety. Fox, you go with Bastila, and Canderous goes with Mission. Under any circumstances you are forbidden to separate and walk alone" he said, again earning a collective nod. "Carth, Wolfie and T3 stay on the ship, just as it was determined previously. Have the Ebon Hawk prepared for the immediate take-off."

"And what are we supposed to do?" Fox asked after Revan finished giving his orders.

"Your topic mission is to find a way to rescue Zaalbar. When you have it done, I allow you to mess a little Czerka's business here. Try to chase them out from Kashyyyk."

"And have you already found the way to get into the Shadowlands?" Bastila asked. Revan only grinned in response.

* * *

The loading ramp of the Ebon Hawk was opened, inviting the fresh, forest air into the ship. Revan launched the engines of the swoop bike that was waiting patiently in the quarters right in front of the entrance to the ship.

The orange swoop bike sprang to life. The engines roared as Revan launched the unused vehicle. It took some time for the former Dark Lord to adjust to the controls of the vehicle.

Bastila watched in silence as Revan was preparing for the take-off. She had a concern look in her eyes and held her arms crossed on her chest. She wasn't particularly fond of the man's idea, but he didn't listen to her, assuring her that he will be alright. But that didn't change the fact that she was worried. The mere idea of traveling to the surface on the swoop bike was threatening since the trees were growing even for a mile up.

"Be careful, please?" Bastila said to him, as Revan moved the swoop bike towards the exit of the Ebon Hawk.

"I will be" he replied, smiling at her warmly. She returned the gesture and moved away from his way. In the next second, he was gone, leaving behind him the blow of the wind, and the roaring sound of the swoop bike.

Revan passed few Czerka Patrol Guards who jumped out from his way. The former Dark Lord headed towards the edge of the landing pad, and flew through it, descending into the Shadowlands. His idea turned out to be easier to say than done. The dense forest almost completely forbade to travel from the crowns of the trees to the surface. The branches were thick and broad – they grew for few meters wide. Revan found it difficult to maneuver between the parts of the trees, but eventually, he was getting accustomed in flying the swoop bike.

Revan's vehicle shuddered violently from a sudden impact. Something that looked like a giant bat hit the swoop bike, causing the former Dark Lord to lose control over the vehicle. After the impact with the Mykal creature, few more hits came along one by one. Revan was now stumbling upon many smaller branches and some other flying creatures.

The man cursed slightly under his breath. It was still left good few hundred meters to the surface, and if he crashed now, he would surely die. The former Dark Lord did his best to keep the smallest amount of the control over the swoop bike, though it came to naught.

The swoop bike shuddered again, this time from hitting the larger branch. Revan forced his sight to look further. The surface was within the reach of his eyes, but still, it was far from his current position. His thoughts were disturbed when he felt the smell of smoke coming to his nostrils. He followed his sense and looked at the back of the vehicle. One of the engines was now lit on fire. The flames were licking the edge of Revan's robe. The former Dark Lord felt the heat coming up his body. He used the Force to lessen the pain, only if just a bit. He had to focus on bringing the swoop bike to the surface of Kashyyyk.

Suddenly, his vehicle shuddered once again, this time far more violently than ever before. It was followed by a somewhat small explosion. Revan looked back again, only to see that the engines have dropped out, and broke apart into pieces against the trees. He cursed even more. He had to survive only two hundred meters of his small journey and he would be on the surface.

Revan lifted up from his sitting position and stood on his seat, preparing for the jump. Without the engines, the probability of making the whole way down was highly impossible. He had to evacuate.

When the branches started to grow even wider and the forest thickened, even more, the surface was getting much closer. Revan slowly let go of the driving controls and brought his hands to the handles of his lightsabers. Just a little moment more…

 _NOW!_ He screamed in his mind and leaped forward at the nearest Wroshyr tree. During his time in the air, he ignited his lightsabers and plunged them into the trunk. He made his way down the tree with the help of his blades, but he had to maneuver, in order to avoid the secrets of Kashyyyk's surface.

After a moment of going down the Wroshyr tree, he leaped again, now landing on the hard ground. The forest floor scrunched underneath his feet. The smaller branches, dried leafs, some dead corpses created an amazing intruder alarm. With every move of his feet, the surface let out a series of different sounds. Revan looked around. He had to keep his attention for any potential threats. Even if he was a Jedi, and the Sith Lord, the Kashyyyk hid many terrifying secrets, many of which even the Jedi Council feared.

Despite the fact that the sun has risen already, it was still dark here on the surface, and the gleaming of the lightsabers didn't help very much. But nevertheless, it was better than nothing.

"I've reached the surface" he spoke to his wrist communicator, not waiting for the response.

"I didn't think I would meet you here again."

* * *

Bastila was watching with concern in her eyes the place where Revan disappeared on the swoop bike. She grew even more worried when she heard a quiet echo of an explosion that was followed by the fire that appeared somewhere near the surface. Immediately she reached to her communicator, trying to contact Revan. Despite her efforts, no one on the other side replied.

Bastila began pacing back and forth against the wooden barrier. She tried to reach Revan with the Force, but the Kashyyyk's life didn't allow her to do so much. The only comfort was that she was still feeling Revan on the other side of their Bond, though it was weak.

"I've reached the surface" a voice in her communicator said. Bastila almost jumped at the sudden sound. At first, she was standing there without understanding, but then the words made their way to her mind. Revan was alive. This thought comforted her.

"Be careful" she responded to her communicator, though she wasn't sure if Revan received it.

"Come on, Princess," a voice behind her said. Bastila turned around to see Fox approaching her. "He can take care of himself, and we have work to do. Better let's hurry."

Bastila complied and walked from the edge of the landing pad. The crew of the Ebon Hawk was gathered in front of the ship, except the pilots and the astromechanical unit who remained inside. Everyone had their weapons at ready –three soldiers held their blasters prepare to fire, and the two Jedi had their lightsabers resting patiently against their thighs. Mission had two simple blaster pistols hid on her hips.

Bastila looked around, searching for what Revan said earlier. The Czerka Patrol Guards indeed were eyeing them carefully –something she hadn't noticed earlier. Even if the employees tried to be discrete, it was noticeable that they were preparing different kinds of weapons. She gulped unwillingly. A mere thought of slavery caused her to shiver.

"Hurry up" their communicators spoke. This time it was Wolfie. "In few hours we're leaving Kashyyyk. If anyone is lost, he stays."

"Let's go" Rex announced, moving towards the exit of the landing pad. The wooden floor was cracking under his every move. The group of five followed him closely behind – everyone, unwillingly, moved to the person he was assigned. Bastila chuckled slightly at that. This only proved Revan's abilities as a leader.

"So, you've served under him in the Mandalorian Wars?" Bastila asked quietly, keeping her voice low. Fox smiled at that.

"We've talked about that already, Princess" he replied, teasing her. "When we were on Coruscant after the Taris Campaign, remember?"

"I do" she answered quietly, slightly ashamed.

"But, answering your question, I have. Just as Rex and Wolfie. I remember it, as it would have happened yesterday: that day when we took him, Malak and Meetra on the Republic frigate. We were the ones to escort him. It was then, when we've seen you the first time, as you ran up to the transport ship, and ordered him to take you with him" he said, earning a small smile from Bastila.

"What caused you to be so loyal to him?" she asked the question that was always in the back of her mind.

"The victory in the battle of Corelia" he replied simply. "In the entire Republic fleet, everyone ignored his commands, except for the small group of people. I was the loudest one to question his orders, but it all changed when he did something impossible."

"And what is that?"

"He defeated the Mandalorians over the planet of Corelia. Before he joined the Republic forces, we haven't won a single battle. Corelia was the turning point of the War. In our eyes, it was impossible to win that combat, and many of us wanted to retreat deeper into the Core Worlds – I was one of them. But Revan said we fight, even if we all thought that it was a lost battle. I have no idea how he did it, but he earned us the victory. We had a hard time pocketing our own pride and apologizing him. Amongst the wreckages of the Mandalorian ships I, Rex and Wolfie made a promise to follow him everywhere. Since that day we were with him in his every battle, never surrendering. It was hard" he added with a smile. "But fighting under him is something that every soldier would dream of. His tactic skills allowed us to win the War and to move so deep into the Republic in the next one."

"Why have you even turned on the Republic in the first place?" Bastila asked the question that the entire Galaxy wanted to get an answer for. The hero of the Mandalorian Wars suddenly turned on the very Republic he swore to protect – it was a mystery for everyone, including Bastila.

"Ask your lover" Fox replied. "To be honest, I have no idea why. One day he just said that we attack the Republic. We didn't have any second thoughts – there was no time for having them. We simply followed our orders, as the soldiers would do."

"He didn't say why?"

"No" he simply replied. "He turned everyone down when we asked him the question about it. We didn't know his motives or purposes. We only had to conquer the Republic."

"And now you're helping to save it," Bastila said with a victorious grin.

"Save it?" he repeated with a mocking tone. "We're following Revan, Princess. Whatever he has planned, it is far from saving the Republic."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask your lover."

* * *

 **And so the another chapter is finished. Leave a favorite, follow it and write your thoughts about this chapter and the whole story itself. The reviews really help me, and reading them gives me just as much pleasure as reading the 'Price of the Sacrifice' gives you (at least I hope that you enjoy it XD). Stay tuned for the next updates and I ask you to leave your proposition and thoughts as the reviews! See you next time!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Hello again! Oh, my God, it's been a long time since I have updated this story. I apologize for that but I have many things that keep me busy right now. You know, I have an overhaul at home, had some hard time in my relationship (I broke up with my girlfriend), and lately I've returned to working out and swimming, cause I have to do something with my broken back, so most probably, until the summer holidays, the frequency of updating won't increase. And as always I ask for reviews, favorites and follows! With this said I invite to the chapter 28 of the 'Price of the Sacrifice'!**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 28

"Jolee?" Revan asked with the look of recognition on his face. In front of him was standing a tall, black man. He was wearing something that resembled the brown Jedi robe and had a silver lightsaber handle clipped to his belt. He was wearing grey trousers and knee-high, leather boots. He had a pair of brown gloves and dark-green gauntlets. He didn't have any hair on top of his head, only grey mustache hair that was coming down to his jawline, and a single strip of a grey beard. The man had a small smile on his face, that clearly showed that he didn't have any hostile intentions.

"I'm happy that you still remember the old man" he replied, with his smile growing even wider. "But, I must say it, your sudden appearance here surprises me a lot. I didn't think that you would come to the Shadowlands again, and especially not after what you have done. You have some guts to come here, Sith Lord" he said, but his voice lacked the trace of hostility when he named Revan by his mantle.

"So, you've heard the news?" Revan asked, teasing him a bit.

"Of course I have" Jolee replied. This time the smile has gone from his face. "I know what you have found, and I know that it is not the tool of the Light Side. Besides, the screams of the entire Galaxy are possible to hear in the Force. Your deeds brought many deaths and sufferings, Revan" he said, this time much more calmly, as it didn't truly bother him. "I've heard about Telos and Taris not from the witnesses, but from the Force. It sent an echo of billions of beings dying.

"And do you hear the echo of these events in me?" Revan asked in the same calm tone. "I'm not responsible for these massacres. I haven't ordered the bombardment of Telos, nor Taris. Actually, when it came to the destruction of Taris, I wasn't in charge of my Empire anymore."

"And why is that?"

"I was betrayed by Malak" Revan replied simply. "He fired upon my ship, the Jedi captured me, and he took the mantle of the Dark Lord to himself."

"And how are you not responsible for Telos, hmm? You were the Dark Lord right then."

"I gave the order to conquer this planet, yes. But it was Malak who commanded the fleet. He simply ignored my orders and instead led the bombardment of Telos. I can't say it didn't bother me."

Jolee seemed to be in deep thinking after hearing that. He was eyeing the younger man carefully, trying to find any sign in Revan's expression that he was lying, but he could not find any. The Force wasn't shifting around him – an evident sign that he was telling the truth. The old man sighed heavily.

"I remember the first time when we met," he said, looking at Revan. "The Force was strong in you, as it is right now. But the Dark Side is not rampaging in you, as it did years ago. You've changed. It is still possible to sense it in you, but now it's much… calmer" he more stated than asked.

"I came here to find the Star Map once again, Jolee" Revan replied, earning a questioning look from the older man. "I have to get to the Star Forge."

"In order to reclaim the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith? To bring even bigger chaos and destruction to the Galaxy, than you already have?"

"You know nothing about me or my actions" Revan replied angrily. "I've done it out of necessity, trying to save the Galaxy from..."

"Save? SAVE?!Your deeds brought nothing to the Galaxy, but pain and suffering" Jolee interrupted what Revan was trying to say.

"You cannot judge me. You have no idea of what led me to make such decisions. I am doing what is right" Revan replied, clenching his teeth and fingers. An anger was emanating from him in waves – almost possible to touch. His Force Aura was shifting uncontrollably around his form – easily sensible for Jolee.

"What is right? Or what you think is right? That's a difference, Revan. You do control yourself, I cannot deny it, but the Dark Side is still strong in you" Jolee replied, taking a step forward.

"The Dark Side?" Revan mocked the older man after realization struck him. "From what you have told me years ago, I can say that there is no Dark Side, nor the Light Side, there is only the Force" he replied, quoting the old man's words. "If I am not mistaken, you are the one who first told me The Grey Code."

"And I will do what I must to keep the balance" Jolee replied, using the Code's words, as Revan did. "There is no good without evil, but evil must not be allowed to flourish. Last time when you came here, you were looking for the Star Forge as well. If only I knew what was about to happen after you reached it, I would have never helped you."

"Do we really have to go through all of this right now, Jolee?" Revan asked in irritation. "We're wasting time here, and time is something I do not actually have. I know that I have got into mischief previously, but now I'm working to undo what I have done."

"I may be old, kid, but I'm not someone who can be fooled twice" Jolee replied in a peaceful tone. "You tricked me once, but I won't allow you to do it again," he said, igniting his green lightsaber. "You need something more than just words to convince me, Revan." With that, he took a defensive pose, keeping his blade parallel to his shoulder.

Revan sighed in frustration. He wondered how it happened that everywhere he went, he met some obstacles. Perhaps the Force hated him, or it was some cruel joke from whatever lesser gods that existed in the Galaxy. He had no idea, but the fact that Jolee wanted to fight him seemed too unreal to him. The old man was always kind and easygoing – never the one to pull out his lightsaber first. And yet here he was, challenging Revan to fight.

Revan ignited his own lightsabers again. His expression was lightened by the blue and red lights, coming from his weapons. The former Dark Lord was holding the blades close to the ground, so the tips touched the ground. A small smoke was coming from the spots where the lightsabers made contact with the forest floor.

"Even now your behavior speaks for you," Jolee said. "Even if I don't fully believe in Light and Dark Side of the Force, it is obvious to me that the red lightsabers are used by those who claim to follow the path of darkness."

"You seem to be wise, and yet your words sound foolish" Revan replied. "The red color was used originally by those who claimed to follow their emotions. Even amongst the old Jedi Masters, there are still few who are using them. And what have you told me years ago? Ah, I remember now: serenity, yet emotion. Usage of the red lightsaber doesn't mean I'm corrupted."

"I know that, kid, but emotions in you are not uncontrolled. Your inner anger is perhaps tempered, but everything else is rampaging in you. Love, hatred, guilt, sadness, longing, all of this speaks through you louder than any of your words. Even if what you're doing is right, I cannot allow you to save the Galaxy, unless you bring balance to yourself first. I know your past, and I know what drives your emotions, but you cannot allow it to blind you, Revan. Until you understand it, I cannot allow you to pass. You must fight your way through me."

"So be it" Revan simply replied, launching at the old man. His lightsabers met Jolee's green one with a clash, that sent an echo throughout the dense forest of Kashyyyk. Many of the smaller creatures gathered around them ran away in fear.

Even if Jolee was an old man, his skills with the lightsaber were incredible. He deflected with ease Revan's every blow as if they were the intrusive flies. He parried every strike without breaking a sweat, scoffing Revan's efforts by keeping his left hand behind his back. He wore the same, emotionless expression, almost bored as if he was playing with a small child that is learning how to use the lightsaber.

After few minutes of such game, Jolee made his own strike. Only one, but precise, making contact with Revan's destroyed skin on his left shoulder. The man growled at the sudden impact, dropping his red lightsaber.

"This is where all your emotions are being ignited, Revan," Jolee said, using the moment. "Your Mandalorian nature hunts you down, never letting you go."

Jolee's words reminded Revan of his time as the Mandalore's captive. The pain he felt when he was tortured, the incredible agony when the Mandalorians ripped the skin from his left shoulder – where he had the symbol of Raven Clan. At least Jolee didn't hit his right shoulder. The wound was still far from being healed, and, if it was hit, it would most probably make Revan lose his consciousness.

The former Dark Lord strengthened his grip on the blue lightsabers he was still holding in his right hand. The smoke that was coming from the burned scar on his left shoulder was coming to his nostrils, blocking the already thin air, and to his eyes, blocking his vision. It was his time now to be on defense, as Jolee attacked him with his own series of strikes. The old man's blows were swift, but none of them were directed at his body.

 _It is a test,_ Revan realized after a moment. The way Jolee was fighting, his strikes, and all that was some kind of a test, that resembled a little the Jedi Trials. Its purpose was to find out if the student was going to use the Dark Side in order to win the duel. And Jolee was now doing exactly the same thing, as Revan's masters did to him years ago.

"I haven't come here to fight you, Jolee," Revan said when they separated in order to catch the breath. "Strike me down, if you have to. I'm not going to participate in this pointless duel, just because you do not believe in what I say. I do not need you to lecture me about my paths or my deeds" he added, turning off his blue lightsaber and clipping it to his belt.

Jolee mimicked Revan's moves, turning off his own weapon. His face was then lightened by a warm smile, that spread itself quickly on his lips, reaching his eyes. A small chuckle was what came from him next.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, for that wound," he said after seeing Revan smiling slightly as well. His tone was now friendly and had no trace of the previous hostility. "But I hope that you understand what I have done? I had to make sure that what you have said were not only the empty words but that you truly meant it."

"Never mind that, Jolee" Revan replied in the same tone. "I guess that I have deserved it at some point" he added with a small chuckle, similar to the old man's one.

"Come to my place, I'll see that wound. The lightsabers burns are the tricky ones. Better not to ignore that."

Revan nodded at that and came closer to the old man. On his way, he picked up his second lightsaber, clipping it to his belt. Jolee patted him lightly on his back when he got close enough. Revan smiled again at the warm gesture.

"So, since I have no real contact with the outer world, would you like to narrate what has happened through the past year?" Jolee asked as they were walking side by side towards Jolee's cabin. "I'm really interested in what has bypassed me."

Revan agreed to that, describing what has happened since his last visit on Kashyyyk. He told Jolee about the rest of his quest to find the other Star Maps and what he and Malak had found in the Unknown Regions, in the Rakata System. The old man was taken aback when he learned about the Council's proclamation as to Revan's fate. Now he seemed to understand a little better what motivated the younger man to begin his own war against the Republic.

From the Star Forge Revan moved to the events of the Jedi Civil War, describing as he was conquering the world after world, almost reaching the Core Worlds. He even didn't spare Jolee the descriptions of how he and Malak were breaking the Jedi that have somehow fallen into their hands. The old man grimaced at the images that appeared in his mind, as Revan kept on telling the story.

The former Dark Lord now described how the Jedi set a trap for him in the Sernpidal System, and how Malak used this opportunity for his act of betrayal. Jolee was once again taken aback when he learned about Revan's fate during his time as the Republic's captive. He would never assume that the Jedi Council would agree to such a thing as the interrogation with using of strength, but he didn't sense any trail of a lie in Revan's words. But his surprise was far from over when the younger man told him about the Council's decision.

After a moment of walking, they reached the place where Jolee lived through the past twenty years. It was a small cabin carved in a root of the Wroshyr tree. It contained a wooden door with a small circular window and two rectangular windows in the walls. The bright, yellow light was coming from it, enlightening the darkness of Kashyyyk's surface. The outside of the cabin was covered in some sort of spider-web, and some smaller creatures were crawling on the walls.

Jolee opened the doors, inviting Revan inside. The younger man lowered his head in order to not hit the frame with his head. The interior of the cabin was cozy. A small fire was burning in something that resembled chimney, casting light on the inside of the house. There was only one room, and it consisted a bed and some kind of a kitchen. A strange smell was coming to Revan's nostrils, most probably being something that Jolee was cooking. To put it simply: the old man's cabin was pretty much the same as it used to be almost two years before.

"It might be small, but it's still home," Jolee said, coming closer to a small jug that was standing on the fire, and stirred whatever that it was inside. "Please forgive me the little mess that is here, but I haven't expected any guests" he added with a small chuckle.

"Well, at least it didn't change any bit since last time I was here" Revan replied, with a similar chuckle. He knelt on the floor next to the chimney. He watched in amusement as the older man sipped the stinking content of the jug. He grimaced unwillingly.

"What?" Jolee asked. "Not having a woman can be very helpful, but sometimes, especially when you're making food, it's… difficult."

"Well, I can see your point" Revan replied with yet another chuckle.

"Now, let's see your wound, kiddo," Jolee said, putting back the small jug. Revan discarded his robe, tossing it to the side. He then rolled up the left sleeve of his tunic up to his collarbone. The mark after the lightsaber wasn't deep, in fact, the blade barely touched the skin, but it was enough to leave a burn.

Jolee brought a wiper soaked up probably with water and applied it to Revan's shoulder. The younger man hissed when the material made a contact with his skin.

"Well, the burn itself isn't a nasty one, but I'm more concerned about that ravaged skin of yours," Jolee said after he cleaned the wound.

"It's nothing" Revan replied with another hiss. "A souvenir from the Mandalorian Wars" he added, hoping that Jolee would give up on it, but the old man seemed unconvinced.

"There's more than what you're telling me, kiddo. I sensed that earlier, and now I would appreciate if you told me."

"Can you stop calling me 'kiddo'?" Revan asked in annoyance. "I'm not that young. I've seen many things in my life, and by all standards, I'm an adult."

Jolee laughed at that. "Sorry about that, but when you reach my age, everyone younger seems to be a kid. So, are you planning to tell me the story behind that scar?"

"I got it when I was in Mandalore's hands" Revan replied calmly. "I was their prisoner through the last month of the war. I had the skin from my shoulder ripped by the person who was torturing me. Apparently, he couldn't stand the fact that I had a symbol of a Mandalorian Clan on it."

"And what would that one be doing on your shoulder?" Jolee asked intrigued.

"I was born on Mandalore" Revan replied, earning a surprised expression from the old man. "I was taken from there by Jedi when I was five years old."

"So, you fought your own people during the war. Must have been difficult for you."

Revan laughed humorlessly upon hearing that. Jolee watched the younger man, waiting for him to stop. After a minute or so of laughing, Revan has calmed down, looking at the old man.

"Difficult? I have killed my own family during this war. The person who was torturing me was my own uncle, the brother of my father. Earlier in one of the campaigns, I have killed my own cousin" he said with a humorless smile. "I brought my own clan to extinction. I'm the last living member of the Raven Clan."

"Raven Clan?" Jolee asked surprised again. "Wait, isn't it connected with your name?"

"What an observation" Revan mocked. "But yes, hence my name. In our culture, the children are given names at the age of eight, and I have no idea why. Till then, we carry only the name of our clan. So, when I reached the proper age, I've given myself the name."

"Would you like something to eat?" Jolee proposed, changing the topic. "I've cooked it minutes before" he added, pointing at the jug. Revan grimaced slightly at that.

"No, thank you" he replied with a false, polite tone. Jolee seemed to not notice it.

"But you won't mind, if I…?"

"No, no, no, not at all" Revan said quickly. "Feel free to eat as much as you want" he encouraged him. The old man took a small wooden bowl and poured the content of the jug into it. Revan unwillingly held his breath, trying to not breathe the smell of the stew. Jolee then took a spoon and put it into the bowl, taking some of the food into his mouth.

"Since we're already at that" Jolee said with his mouth filled with the strange stew. "Could you please tell me something about your childhood? I'm most intrigued in how you ended up in the Jedi Order."

"As I have already told, I was taken from my homeworld at the age of five" Revan replied. "Even if I was a small kid, I do remember practically everything that happened that day. Few Jedi Masters have arrived, along with some Republic soldiers. My parents didn't agree to give me to the Order, so the Council decided to take me the hard way. My father and mother died in the battle, protecting me. At least they have died an honorable death – being outnumbered by the enemy, with weapons in their hands."

"Do you seek revenge on the Council then?" Jolee asked after a moment. He seemed surprised upon seeing Revan shaking his head.

"No. At least the Jedi guaranteed my parents a death worthy of a warrior. That's more than I could ask for. Anyway, for the next three years, I told no one my name, until I have given myself one. Simple changing of the letters and the Jedi Masters had no problem with accepting it. Even if I was growing up amongst the other Padawans in the Order, I still was interested in the culture of my own people. After countless hours spent with the old teachers, I was learning the ways of the Mandalorians, trying to learn what my parents haven't managed to teach me. By going to war I have only learned more about my own kind, than what was in the datapads and the archives."

"So, if you are the Mandalorian, and you bested Mandalore in combat, then…"

"I am the rightful leader of the Mandalorians" Revan finished for Jolee. "And I'm planning to reunite the Clans under one banner, just as my predecessor did decades ago. There is still the way for my people to regain honor, without breaking the terms of the treaty, I forced upon them. And this is also the reason why I'm looking for the Star Maps once again, Jolee."

"Feel free to tell it" the old man encouraged him with a small smile.

"On Mandalore's ship I learned that the Mandalorians were tricked into that War," Revan said. "After months of searching, Malak and I have found a world in the Unknown Regions called Dromund Kaas. It is a planet where the surviving Sith from the Great Hyperspace War took shelter. They have rebuilt their Empire, preparing for the revenge. Mandalorians were supposed to test the defenses of the Republic military structure, and the Sith Emperor certainly didn't expect me to show up. When I and Malak faced him, we were immediately defeated by him. I have no idea why he spared us that day, but he sent us back to the Known Regions in order to find the Star Forge – a device that is available for creating an enormous fleet out of thin air. With its help, the Sith Empire wouldn't have any problems in conquering the Galaxy."

"During our journey, though, Malak and I somehow set free from the Emperor's influence. As I said before, I even contacted the Council about what I have found, and yet they named me Darth Revan. Their arrogance and blindness were good enough reasons to begin a new war. But I never intended to rule the Galaxy. As ridiculous as it may sound, but I wanted to save it from the Sith from the Unknown Regions. And in order to do so, I had to make the Republic and the Jedi Order stand back. They are too weak and corrupted to face this threat."

"And now you're looking for the Star Maps, because?"

"Malak doesn't share my point of view. He wants the Galaxy for himself, but he is going to be wiped out when the True Sith arrive. I have to regain control over the Star Forge and my Empire to prevent the Galaxy from doom. And here comes one little problem. No computer contains the coordinates of the System where the Star Forge is located since it is in the Unknown Regions. I have no other choice but to find the Star Maps once again."

"Your story seems to be a little unreal to me" Jolee replied after a moment of silence and deep thinking. "Some things are just farfetched, but I do not sense you're trying to lie to me. In fact, the Force speaks through you. Even if I would want to, I cannot deny the truth behind your words."

"Does that mean you'll help me once again, old one?" Revan asked with a glimpse of hope in his voice. He was watching Jolee with anticipation, studying the man's expression. Finally, after what felt like hours, but in fact was only a minute, Jolee broke the silence:

"It's never too late to move a little these old bones. I'll help you, kiddo. I just hope I haven't sealed my own fate by this decision" he said with a small smile dancing on his lips. Revan grinned in response.

* * *

 **Well, this is it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you all for the patience. I tried to make the scene of Revan and Jolee meeting as realistic, as possible but you are the ones who have to judge it. As I said, the frequency of updating won't be any better right now, so please (and I'm sorry for that) be ready to wait around a month for the next update, though I'll try to write the chapter a little bit faster. See you next time ;)**


	30. Chapter 29

**Welcome again after not that long break. As always, I ask for reviews, favorites and follows, so click that two buttons and write some good (or bad) words from you ;)**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 29

"I wonder why you even need me here, kid," Jolee said after he and Revan reached the computer terminal where was a holoprojection of an alien. It was a strange creature with an odd shape of a head. It had a tall cranium and two eyes that protruded from each side of its heads on short stalks.

"Someone had to lower down that force field, and I didn't like the possibility of being crisped to death" Revan replied with a small smirk. "I needed someone to do the dirty job for me."

Jolee rolled his eyes at that, but couldn't suppress a small smirk that found its way onto his covered with cringes face. But his smile faded away, only to be replaced with a concerned look, as he was eyeing the holoprojector in front of him.

"What is this thing?" he asked, not even hoping for a reply, though Revan cared to answer.

"It's possible to say that a guardian," he said, coming closer to the old machine. "When I was here the first time, I was almost killed. The holoprojection asks a series of questions, and if you don't reply correctly, the defense mechanisms are being turned on. I and Malak spent some time trying to figure out the way to get an access to the Star Map."

"And do you still remember the correct answers?" Jolee asked with a concern in his voice.

"You could say so" Revan replied. "After I gained access, I reprogrammed the security system. The questions and answers are now prepared by me" he said, approaching the holoprojector. The machine let out a series of noises when it sensed a form of life coming closer. "Oh, one more thing," Revan said, turning to Jolee. "Don't be surprised about some of the answers. I phrased them when I was dangerously close to the Dark Side. Just stand still, let me do the job, and you can ask questions later" he said, showing clearly that there was no place for arguments. Jolee nodded in response showing that he understood.

"Life forms detected," the holoprojection of the strange alien said with a mechanic voice. "Determining parameters. Initializing neural recognition."

It remained silent for few minutes, the only sound coming from the terminal was a steady beeping.

"Primary neural recognition complete," it said after a while of remaining silent. "Preliminary match found. Begin socialized interface. Awaiting instructions. Greetings. This terminal has not been accessed for quite some time."

"I came to gain access to the Star Map," Revan said simply, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Accessing. Yes, I have found the Star Map in original system memory. Access is restricted" the holoprojection replied.

"I came to gain access to the Star Map" he repeated with a calm voice.

"Your request requires additional security access. You must be made to match the parameters I have been supplied."

"Let's begin," Revan said.

"You travel with a companion and have encountered complications. You and your friend are captured and separated. If you both remain silent, one year of prison for each of you. However, call your friend a traitor and he will serve five years, while you serve none. He is offered the same deal, but if you both accuse each other, you both serve two years. What do you do? What do you trust him to do?"

"I'm unsure what my friend would say. I accuse him to be safe" Revan replied with a peaceful voice. He immediately felt a heavy look from Jolee on the back of his head, though he ignored that.

"The temperament of a companion is unreliable at best. You wisely trade the threat of one year or five, for none or two. In this instance, your friend is unreliable. His family has been a mire of treachery. I judge the answer correct. You display the proper behavior to match the pattern in memory. Evaluation will continue."

"Go on with it then."

"Hypothetical: you are at war. Deciphering an intercepted code, you learn two things about your enemy. A single spot in their defense will be at its weakest in ten days, and they will attack one of your cities in five days. What do you do with this information? What is the most efficient course of action?"

"I prepare my forces to attack in ten days. I do nothing in the city" Revan simply replied. The sense of being watched by Jolee only grew, but still, he ignored that. He would answer his questions later.

"Very good," the alien said. "If you had moved to evacuate the city, you would have alerted the enemy of their lost codes. Ultimate victory required the deaths of the people in that city. You wisely ignored sentiment in your decision."

"That's right. The deaths of those people would spur my forces on" Revan added with the same emotionless tone. He could sense the growing anticipation in Jolee who was still standing in silence behind him.

"Very good reasoning," the holoprojection said. "I will apply it to the rest of the evaluation. You begin to match the pattern in memory. Hypothetical: remove the ongoing war from the previous example. Consider enemy states to be weak and remote. With no external threat, your empire stagnates. Your people become complacent and begin to question you. Same scenario as before: you discover an impending attack, but also a weakness that will come after. How do you react?"

"I think I'm not going to like the answer" Jolee murmured softly, but it fell on Revan's deaf ears.

"I let the attack happen" Revan replied simply, pretending he didn't hear Jolee's comment.

"Of course you do. It makes the most strategic sense. Your people will rally beneath you against the common foe. As their eyes turn outward, your rule will strengthen. The trappings of war grant many opportunities. You have matched the pattern in memory. I recognize you, and will fulfill my designated functions."

"Give me access to the Star Map" Revan ordered simply.

"Yes, you are ready. Soon you will recognize the proper course to follow. The Star Map is yours. This unit has now completed its primary duty and has finished with this subject. Executing final action. Activation of Star Map commencing. Parameters reset. Stasis initiated. End communication."

With this, the holoprojection turned off, and the Star Map opened itself. Just as on Dantooine, a small orb has flown upward. Just as before, the projection of the Galaxy has appeared. The dark forest of Kashyyyk was now lit by the hologram that presented billions of stars. Very well known regions of the Inner and Outer Rim along with the Core Worlds and the Hutt Space illuminated the darkness around Revan and Jolee. The Unknown Regions remained in darkness, with only a few stars standing alone in the dark.

Revan came closer to the ancient device and knelt next to it. Then he plugged in the small datapad into the port and began downloading of the content.

"I always thought that the term 'Star Map' was something conventional. I never assumed that it can be understood so literally" Jolee said breaking the silence. He came closer to Revan and studied the hologram with a great interest. "I can't believe how precise this map is. The present hyperspace routes are placed here, but also those that don't exist for quite some time already. For example this one: This route between Peragus and Taris has not been used for few millennia at least. It doesn't even exist in the Jedi Archives on Coruscant anymore. It must have been existing for thousands of years already."

"Around thirty thousand years" Revan clarified. "The records from the Star Maps allowed me to move so quickly through the Republic. Using of these routes allowed me to take them by surprise many times."

"I see" Jolee replied simply. "So, I must say that your answers were… intriguing at least" he said, changing the topic. Revan smirked at that and turned to face the old man.

"Yeah, I told you" he answered with a small laughter. "But hey, I've phrased this questions and answers when I was as close to the Dark Side as never before or after. Things are different now."

"But still, these answers were… Unsettling. I never imagined that you would put them like this. But, nevertheless, I hope that you are changed now."

"I am" Revan replied, standing up. The datapad was now in his hand. The Star Map behind him started to shut down.

"So what now?"

"Now I have to make sure that nobody finds it again" he replied and tossed a thermal detonator in the direction of the terminal. The machine and the Star Map exploded in the cloud of fire, sending dozens of small pieces into every direction. After few seconds, the forest went silent and dark again.

* * *

"Hurry up!" Rex shouted.

 _It's madness, it's madness, it's madness!_ Bastila's mind screamed. The muscles in her legs ached terribly from the exhaustion. They've been running for quite some time already, being forced to fight their way out from the Rwookrrorro village. She was forcing her legs to carry her onward, though she met some resistance from them.

 _I'm going to kill him if the Shadowlands haven't done that already,_ Bastila thought. She was extremely angry with Revan, and couldn't wait to meet him. It didn't matter to her what he expected when he ordered them to rescue Zaalbar and make cause Czerka Corporation some troubles, but she was going to get the ideas like that out of his head. After all, Revan was good in disturbing everyone's business. Next time, if he wanted such thing to be done, he would have to do it on his own.

And now they were being chased by a bunch of mad Wookiees and dozens of Czerka employees. If it wasn't for the Jedi Code she still partially believed in, she would never agree to such a suicidal mission. Rescuing Zaalbar was the easy part of the plan that Revan forced upon them. The difficult part was to actually return to the ship. If only they thought about Revan's plan and how to put it through.

Bastila stated that simply blowing up few Czerka offices was, saying it politely, stupid. Bastila's robe was burned now in few places and the shards of buildings were falling around them. The young Jedi Padawan had to cover her head with her hands to protect herself from the heavy pieces.

Her raging emotions were additionally ignited by the fact that she was going to face her mother on Tatooine. She had no idea how low was the likelihood of meeting that Twi'lek woman here on Kashyyyk who had the information concerning Helena Shan, but it happened. And from what she knew from Revan, they were going on Tatooine right after leaving the Wookiee's homeworld. It's pointless to say that she was a little… stressed with this scenario.

Bastila didn't hate her mother. She was above such simple emotion as hatred; she just never felt love to her – in opposite to her father. But perhaps, meeting her mother also meant meeting her father? She really hoped so.

Bastila suddenly noticed the wooden floor beneath her approaching rapidly her face. In her trace of thoughts, she lost the awareness of her surroundings and stumbled upon something. She acted like in a trance – her limbs refused to obey her commands, and she would undoubtedly fall to the hard ground if it wasn't for a pair of hands that caught her.

"Wake up, Princess!" Fox shouted directly into her face. She had no idea what was happening to her. Her current state reminded the one she was in back on Revan's flagship. She shook her head violently to return to the present.

"Wolfie, Carth, launch the Ebon Hawk" Fox shouted again, this time to his wrist communicator. Bastila looked over her shoulder.

Right behind her was Canderous who was holding the unconscious Zaalbar in his arms. Right next to him was running Mission; her blue Lekku were bouncing up and down with every step she took. Since the very moment they rescued their Wookiee companion, the young Twi'lek didn't leave his side for a single second.

"And what about Alen?" the voice in Fox's communicator replied.

"He hasn't come back yet?!"

"No. And he gave no signs of life either."

Fox let out a deep sigh, while Bastila was slowly deciphering the information she just heard. They were going to leave Kashyyyk in mere minutes, and Revan still wasn't with them. And Revan still wasn't with them. And Revan still wasn't with…

"We cannot leave without him," she said desperately to the man running beside her.

"Only two more turns and we are back on the ship!" Rex shouted.

"I know" Fox replied, clicking something in his communicator. "I'll try to contact him, but I don't know if he's going to answer the call" he added, looking apologetically at her. "Alen, do you copy? I repeat: Alen, do you copy?"

The only response was silence disturbed only by the heavy sounds of footsteps and cracking of the old wooden floor.

* * *

"Alen, do you copy?" Revan's communicator spoke, taking two men by surprise.

"Alen?" Jolee asked with a small grin, eyeing Revan with the look that clearly showed that he expected some explanation.

"I'll tell you later" Revan replied with a similar grin. "This is Alen Royce," he said to his communicator. "What's the matter?" he asked, but the only sound that was coming back was highly distorted, most probably by the thick layer of trees.

Revan pressed few buttons in his communicator, trying to make it work, but the effect was still the same.

"By the Force, it was working just seconds ago" he muttered more to himself. He tried to switch the channels. This time the effect was much better than the previous one.

"This is Alen Royce," he said to his communicator once again, hoping that someone on the other side would respond. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long.

"Alen, this is Wolfie, do you copy" the voice of his best pilot replied. Revan sighed with relief. Even if the sound wasn't perfectly clear, it was still quite easy to figure out what the person on the other side was saying.

"I do, Wolfie. What's the matter?"

"The rest of our group has done some mess up here, and they are now retreating. We have to launch immediately."

"I won't manage to get back from the surface. Try to buy me some time."

"We have no time, Alen" Wolfie replied, not even waiting for him to fully finish the sentence. "I can already see them rapidly approaching the landing pad. This and our sensors have picked up a ship coming to Kashyyyk. It'll drop out from the hyperspace in twenty minutes, no more."

Revan bit his tongue at that. At first, he intended to yell at Wolfie for breaking his word, but the information he received successfully silenced him.

"Do you know where is this ship coming from?" he asked in a calm tone.

"From Coruscant" was a simple reply. Revan let out a groan.

"Launch the ship immediately. Set the coordinates to Tatooine, and don't wait for me on the landing pad. There is a lake just a few kilometers south from here. I'll meet you there. In twenty minutes we must be off this planet. Also, block the possibility of sending any messages from the ship, that's an order. And prepare a spare place for one more person" he said and turned off his communicator immediately, not even waiting for the response.

"How is your running, old man?" he asked Jolee with a cocky grin. Hermit replied with a similar smile.

"Maybe not the best, but certainly I'm good enough to keep up with a young kid like you," he said, teasing him.

"Well, we'll see about that" Revan replied and immediately launched in the south direction with Jolee following him closely behind.

* * *

"What do you mean we're supposed to leave?!" Bastila asked enraged. She was still panting heavily from the run, and she was greeted with the fact that they were leaving Kashyyyk without waiting for Revan to return from the Shadowlands.

"He contacted me. We're supposed to meet him few kilometers south from here" Wolfie explained. He and Carth were now igniting the main engines of the Ebon Hawk. The ship suddenly shook violently from the impact. Bastila looked out through the viewport, only to see the bunch of Wookiees rocking their ship.

"Prepare the main ignition," Wolfie said to Carth. The Republic pilot clicked few buttons on the launching console and the ship was airborne once again. The wind knocked out most of the Wookiees, and those who didn't fall were crisped to death by the fire coming from the engines. The smoldering corpses were now falling on the wooden platform right beneath them. Bastila closed her eyes unwillingly at that sight.

"Activating the stabilizers," Carth said, pulling a lever. The ship came from the small rocking into a gentle glide.

"Alen said that there is a lake not far from here," Wolfie said, clicking something on the main panel. "Head south, Carth, and stay low. I don't like these clouds gathering around us."

Bastila, who was still in the cockpit, looked up through the viewport at the pilot's words. In fact, there was a lot of heavy clouds that started to gather on the sky above them. She instinctually made a step backward when the sky was lit by the lightning, that was immediately followed by a loud thunder. The young Jedi Padawan caught a metallic handle for support.

"This isn't going to be an easy flight," Wolfie said to the ship's communicator to let know all of the crew. "Hold on to something, guys."

The flight wasn't long, but it couldn't be called 'uneventful'. Many times they have hooked against the tops of the taller trees, and the lightning more than once showed right next to them. To top it all off, it started raining, causing the pilots to have a straitened vision, and the storm completely blocked the radar's possibilities.

"Are we there already?" Carth asked quietly. Wolfie only shrugged his arms.

"I have no idea. I can't see a thing through this rain, and the communication is most certainly broken. Do you think you can locate him?" he asked, directing the question at Bastila. She nodded hesitantly.

"I should be able to do it" she replied and reached out with the Force in order to find all too familiar presence.

She found him with no difficulties. Fortunately, the aura wasn't affecting the Force in any way. But something was strange.

Right next to Revan there was someone else. This person's Force Aura, whoever that person was, wasn't a hostile one – it was more like indulgent to everyone around him. That was something that surprised her. She hadn't felt that presence earlier, but Revan seemed to be okay with that.

"They are close," she said when she realized that the two pilots were actually waiting for the answer.

"Hold on a second," Carth said. "They? I thought that Alen went there alone."

"He told me something about another person coming with him" Wolfie replied. "How far are they?" he asked, directing another question at Bastila.

"No more than four hundred meters" she replied hesitantly.

"Lower the loading ramp," Wolfie said to the second pilot.

Carth again pressed few buttons and the entrance to the ship was now opened and was waiting for the rest of the crew.

"There they are," Wolfie said, looking through the viewport, even if the vision was blurred.

There, on the beach, were running two men. No more details were coming to Bastila's eyes due to the heavy rain still pounding against the Ebon Hawk.

"Rex, Fox, go to the loading ramp and help them get on the ship," Wolfie said through the ship's communicator. Bastila left the cockpit and headed towards the ship's entrance as well.

She came just in time to see Revan and someone else being pulled to the interior of the Ebon Hawk. Both men were soaked wet and were panting heavily.

Revan's companion was old. That's what she could say after casting one glance at him. And he was black. She had no idea who that man was, but he was wearing the remnants of the Jedi robes, so, most probably, he was, or used to be, a member of the Jedi Order.

She didn't pay any attention to Revan until she felt him tapping slightly her shoulder and saw him passing her by. She followed him with her eyes, only to see him disappearing in the cockpit.

"Are the coordinates ready?" Revan asked when he entered the cockpit.

"Set and ready" Wolfie replied with a steady voice.

"Bring us out from this storm then, and jump into the hyperspace" Revan ordered. The two pilots nodded their heads in agreement, and, after few minutes, they left the Kashyyyk system.

None of them noticed a small ship following them from a safe distance.

* * *

Revan tossed his wet robe aside. He was in his own quarters now and was changing into some spare, dry clothes. Jolee seemed to be totally okay with getting a small room next to the cargo hold.

The datapad was all wet but, fortunately, the rain didn't get into the inside of the small device. He sighed with relief and placed it safely on the bed.

He was alarmed by the sound of the doors being opened. He turned around only to see Bastila standing there, with her arms crossed on her chest. She had somewhat enraged expression.

"What is it, my dear?" he asked, acting as if he didn't notice the look Bastila was giving him. The woman fully entered the room and shut the door behind her, making also sure to nullify the sounds that were about to come from Revan's quarters with the Force.

"You really are arrogant, do yo…" she started in a high, angry tone, but was disrupted by Revan's lips suddenly being pressed against her own.

Bastila was taken aback by the sudden action. She even tried to push him away, in order to be able to yell at him, what was her original plan when she was walking towards Revan's quarters, but the man in front of her was holding her firmly.

Revan's hands were embracing her, bringing her as close to him as it was possible. One of his palms rested peacefully on her hip, while the second one was making small circles on her back.

The kiss he gave her was nothing like their first kiss they shared on Dantooine over five years ago. They got so familiar with each other, that this action seemed to be the most basic thing to do in life, in Bastila's opinion. The way their lips were dancing in the battle for dominance, many times being supported by their tongues, it all seemed to be so… natural. Like this was the best place where both of them could be – in a room, alone, sharing their moment of intimacy.

At this point, all Bastila's thoughts about yelling at Revan escaped her mind, only to be replaced with a single, most simple, and yet most complicated thought: desire. The female Jedi felt that at the back of her head, and something erupted in her belly at the image of how she would satisfy this urge. She wanted it to happen, she couldn't deny it, but that didn't change the fact that she was still a little afraid.

But as their kiss was continuing on, and the love it expressed was slowly being replaced with lust and desire, so has the fear started to escape from Bastila's mind. The young Jedi didn't know what was happening until she felt her legs hit the edge of Revan's bed. She then felt herself being lifted upwards; not by the Force, but by a physical strength of the man who was still standing in front of her.

The moment of her being airborne didn't last long, though. She was almost immediately tossed on the bed behind her with Revan following her closely. The man returned to kissing her, but this time he attacked her neck, allowing Bastila to breathe normally for some time.

"You know that this goes against the Jedi Code?" she whispered slightly with a voice filled with lust, though she quite didn't understand why she said that, cause all the Code, all the Council and all the Order could go screw themselves. She never felt so good, and the meditation certainly wasn't so comforting and so relaxing, as laying under Revan – the man she truly loved – was. For the first time in years, Bastila had a feeling of being where she belonged to. She couldn't understand why the Code forbid such an action when it just felt so good, and so… right.

"Good thing I'm not a Jedi" Revan whispered back into the smooth skin of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Bastila could feel the desire in his voice, and in his actions as well. She knew that at this point Revan's mind was probably turned off, and he was acting only on his instincts, but she didn't care about that. In fact, she also gladly blocked all the arguments for them not being together like this. She just wanted to enjoy the moment, and to spend that night with the man she loved. She wanted to fall asleep, using his chest as a pillow and allow the steady beating of his heart to put her asleep, but that was a far future.

Right now she just wanted to spend a sleepless night in Revan's arms.

* * *

Revan was laying on his back, with Bastila using his chest as a pillow. They both were exhausted from their previous activity, but they couldn't just fall asleep. If they did, the whole moment would just pass by and the sad reality of the Galaxy to save would return. So they were just laying there, naked, embracing each other, holding as for a dear life.

The slow minutes were passing by, and Revan felt an uneasiness growing in Bastila, though she didn't even flinch. He was eyeing her carefully, trying to read her mind from behind her. The female Jedi must have sensed his gaze, cause she lifted her head and looked into his eyes. She gave him a tired, yet satisfied smile, but Revan saw this. That uneasiness behind her happy gaze.

"What's going on, Bas?" he whispered quietly, caressing her face. There was no trail of lust in his voice anymore – there was only love left.

Bastila didn't reply at first. In fact, she cast her head downwards, directing her gaze at the nearby wall. There was this one, single thought that terrified her right now, and she couldn't come up with how to say it.

"Come on, Bas, you can tell me" Revan whispered after yet another few minutes of silence, trying to urge her on.

"Was I your first one?" Bastila whispered back, as quickly as she could, acting as if these words never escaped her mouth. Few, extremely long moments of silence passed by before Revan finally managed to come up with a response.

"No," he said simply. Bastila felt as if the whole Galaxy has suddenly fallen on her head. Such one simple word caused her to feel as if someone ripped her still-beating heart right out of her ribcage.

"Who was she?"

"You're not going to like the answer."

"Who. Was. She." She repeated, this time accenting every single word. Revan let out a heavy sigh that was immediately followed by yet another word that caused her to feel as a dead one:

"Meetra" was the simple response. Before she could say anything, Revan continued on. "I regret that night with her, and I'm glad I don't remember a single thing. I was drunk right then, and I had like an existential crisis or something like that. This, and the Mandalorian Wars waging on caused me to stop thinking rationally. I have no idea what got into me right then."

"Did she… did she carry your baby?"

"No. Most probably it was because of the amount of the alcohol I drank, that she didn't get pregnant, and I'm happy of that. We both have agreed to never come back to this, that it was a single moment of weakness."

"But you love her" she more stated than asked. She felt him nodding in affirmation.

"I love her, but as a sister. She and Alek were my two first friends in the Order, and I would give my life for her, but I don't love her in a romantic way. This one is reserved only for you."

"And yet, somehow it didn't stop you from going with her to bed."

"I was drunk right then. I know that I have no rights to justify myself, but this was a single accident. We have never done that again."

"I know that I shouldn't, but I forgive you that," Bastila said after a moment of silence. "If this really was only a single time, and she didn't get pregnant, then I'm able to forgive you. But, under one condition" she quickly added, before Revan could say anything. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"And what is that?"

"Show me again that you choose me over her."

* * *

 **Revan and Meetra did WHAT?! I have no idea how that came out XD It's funny how the words are coming from the keyboard themselves XD. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you did then write a comment about that. I think that I will publish one more chapter before the summer holiday, and then the frequency of updating will increase, yay XD So see you so guys in the next chapter ;)**


	31. Chapter 30

**Welcome again! I must thank you guys, cause my story is now in top 50 stories from the category of 'The Old Republic'. It is a huge milestone for me, since this is my first fanfic, and I hope that you'll continue supporting my work, as you have been doing till now. As always I ask mostly for reviews and all the rest! Also, I want to ask those who are following my story and didn't add it to their favorites to do it right now XD I have nineteen follows more than favorites and I'd like these two numbers to be equal XD so I ask politely that you add 'Price of the Sacrifice' to your favorites.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 30

Bastila was emanating with righteous indignation, as she was storming through the empty corridors of the Ebon Hawk. She was lucky that everyone was minding their own business, and she was able to head towards Revan's quarters without any complications. She was angry and rightly so. It wasn't because of what she and the former Dark Lord have done. Strangely, she found it to be an easier way to clear her mind, and to focus, than while meditating.

But there was one thing Revan has done to her that enraged her to no end. It was something that proved just how arrogant the man she loved was. Bastila didn't know yet what she would do to him, but she didn't care about that in that moment. She only wanted to get into his quarters and yell at him.

She reached the doors to his room rather quickly. She didn't bother to knock; instead, she just opened them violently with the Force, alerting the man inside of her presence. A large smile appeared on Revan's face when he saw who entered his quarters. He was laying on his bed and, apparently, ignored Bastila's angry expression.

"Hello, Bas" he greeted her and tried to lift himself to come to the woman, though he was put to stasis by Bastila with the Force.

"Don't you dare to 'Hello, Bas' me right now!" she exclaimed with anger, blocking her voice from spreading through the entire ship. "You have no idea in what danger you are right now!"

Revan had a terrified expression on his face. Never before had he seen Bastila so enraged, and he knew that the angry woman was a dangerous woman. But he couldn't even flinch, nor say any word due to the stasis field surrounding him.

"YOU DARED TO MAKE ME A HICKEY!" she shouted in anger, pointing at the spot on her neck. Indeed, there was a red mark that clearly said: ' _Revan was here_ '.

Revan's eyes widened in shock and fear, as much as the stasis field allowed for it. He remembered suckling at that very spot, and how it caused Bastila to moan in pleasure.

"I can't believe how arrogant you are!" Bastila kept shouting. "At this point, the Council was actually right about you! You couldn't wait with doing this, could you?" she asked, even if he couldn't answer. "My mother is on Tatooine! What am I going to do with it?!"

Revan at this point was terrified to the very bone. If Bastila inherited her temperament from her mother then he was more than sure that he didn't want to meet her. He heard the stories of how dangerous and annoying mothers could be, especially when it comes to protecting their daughters. He used the Force to release himself from the stasis field, even if only a little, what was rather easy, cause Bastila wasn't keeping her focus well.

"And what is the chance that we'll meet your mother on Tatooine?" he asked, escaping the grasps of the stasis field. "It's a big planet."

"And what was the likelihood of me meeting a Twi'lek on Kashyyyk who told me about my mother, hmm?" Bastila replied with a rhetorical question. "I'll tell you: it was close to none, but, nevertheless, it happened, and that gives me this feeling that we'll meet her there, and…"

"Oh, come on," Revan said, interrupting her. "You haven't seen her for how long? Sixteen years? You are an adult now, what can she possibly do to you? Will She give you a smack or what? You're exaggerating."

"Exaggerating?!" Bastila exclaimed, wringing her hands to emphasize her bewilderment. Revan always was easy-going, but she didn't share this feature, and in that moment it annoyed her to no end. "She will kill me if she sees it" she added. The anger in her voice moved over and was now replaced with something similar to fear.

"Exactly: if she sees it" Revan replied, standing up, and walking to the shorter woman. "You can come up with something to hide it. It shouldn't be that difficult. After all, it's not that big."

"But how can I hide it?" Bastila asked with the same fearful tone. "It's not like I'll put on any additional clothes. My regular outfit is going to be too much on Tatooine, let alone a scarf, or something like that."

"Then dissolve your hair. You don't have to be walking around all the time with this fancy haircut you have" he said with a small smile, but it wasn't mimicked by Bastila. In fact, she grew even more irritated, and the anger returned to her in its fullest.

"Do you want to say that you don't like my haircut?" she asked with a gaze that could easily kill anyone. In order to make her attitude look even more menacing than it was in reality, she put her hands on her hips, trying to look down on the man in front of her what was rather impossible, because he was few inches taller than her.

"What?! I haven't said anything like that" Revan replied, surprised at the insinuation. Despite he encountered many women in his life, he still couldn't believe how the representatives of the female gender were able to interpret something the way they wanted. And still, he couldn't quite understand how they were doing it.

Bastila seemed to not be totally convinced with Revan's words, but, nevertheless, she gave up on this. Yet still, she was eyeing the man in front of her carefully, searching for any signs of falsehood, but she found none.

The young woman sighed in resignation. Despite all of her Jedi training, she still was feeling nervous about meeting her mother. She was only five when she was given to the Order, but still, she remembered the temperament of the woman who gave her life. Bastila had no idea how her mother was going to react upon seeing her, but she doubted she'd like it.

"We'll be dropping out from hyperspace in no time," Revan said, changing the topic. "I would change clothes if I were you. It may get a little warm on Tatooine."

"A little" she mocked, turning around to walk away to her quarters. Revan's words did little to soothe her still raging emotions. Somehow she knew that her fear was irrational, because, after all, she was already an adult. She had her own private life, and her mother had nothing to do about that. Bastila could take care of herself, especially when Helena failed at that.

But still, she felt nervous. Jedi were supposed to live in celibate, and the red mark on her neck clearly showed that disobeyed that. It's not like she was feeling guilty, or anything. In fact, she found herself relaxing much easier in Revan's arms than while meditating. Her fear was caused only by the possibility of her mother seeing the hickey.

Bastila breathed in heavily, even if to soothe her nerves only a little. She had to keep her focus. Their mission was much more important than the personal things between her and the woman who gave her life.

* * *

Revan walked into the cockpit, just in time to see the Ebon Hawk leaving the hyperspace. In front of them appeared Tatooine, in all of its notoriety. The two suns illuminated the surface of the planet, that was entirely covered in yellow and orange – sand. The former Dark Lord cursed silently under his nose. He really hated that planet, and he hoped to be off of it as fast as possible.

"I'm setting the course to the port in Mos Eisley" Carth reported. He started clicking something on the terminal only to be stopped by Revan.

"Head towards Anchorhead," he said, earning a questioning look from the pilot.

"Anchorhead?" Carth repeated, making sure that he heard it correctly. "But nothing is there. I mean, it's a small town with practically nothing."

"At least it gets along with the planet standards" Revan replied. "And think of it, Carth. Mos Eisley is the largest spaceport on this cursed ball of sand. If someone wanted to hide something here, I think he'd rather do it in the wilderness."

"He has a point, Carth" Wolfie commented. It's not like he was going to oppose Revan's words, but he had to give his opinion, as the copilot.

"I hope you're right" Carth murmured in response, changing the course of the Ebon Hawk.

In no longer than a minute, the City of Anchorhead reached their eyes. In fact, just as Revan said, it was a wilderness. Houses were built with the sandstone, with no glass where the windows were. This town and the entire planet itself was a complete opposite to the better part of the Galaxy, especially the Core Worlds.

Revan walked out from the cockpit and headed towards the exit of the ship. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he could swear, that, as they were getting closer and closer to the spaceport, the more and more of Tatooine's heat was coming to him. It was impossible though, due to the obvious fact that the Ebon Hawk was still locked from the inside, and, even if they have already entered the planet's atmosphere, it wasn't long since they've left the vacuum of space.

Revan turned towards the garage of the ship. He could be respecting those who were following him, but there was no way he was going to suffer the planet's hard conditions. A small, evil smile appeared on his face, as he was approaching the room where Rex, Fox, and Canderous were living. He didn't bother to knock at the door – he simply opened them wide with the Force.

"Suit up," Revan said, entering the room. "We've arrived" he added, stating an obvious fact. He received a collective groan in a response, but he decided to ignore that. The former Dark Lord wasn't waiting for any verbal reply – he simply left the garage, knowing that they won't disobey his order.

Immediately after he left the quarters of three men, he stumbled upon Bastila. She wasn't wearing her regular, form-fitting outfit. Instead, she wore a simple, non-Jedi dress that wasn't matching her woman curves so much. It was a modest, beige cloth that wasn't see-through. The young woman apparently followed his advice, because she let her hair go freely. They weren't fully straight, because of the ponytail that Bastila was always using, and they were falling down in cascades on her back.

For the first time in few years, Revan saw Bastila looking so… normal. There wasn't a better word describing her. She didn't look like a Jedi with an extremely rare gift who was training her whole life. She looked like a simple girl, or a very young woman, from any world. Revan was surprised how much he liked seeing her that way. Their lives would be so much simpler if it wasn't for the War, the Jedi, and the damned Force.

"I don't think that a lightsaber comes along with the dress you're wearing," Revan said, after noticing the weapon hanging from her belt. "It's too much conspicuous."

"If you think that I'll move anywhere without it, you're sorely mistaken" she replied with arms crossed on her chest. "I feel much safer with it."

"My presence isn't enough for you to feel safe?" Revan teased her with a significant smile.

"Well, somehow it wasn't enough back on the Endar Spire" she replied with the same smile. Revan had a hurt expression on his face.

"It hurts, you know" he replied, bringing his hand to his chest. Bastila couldn't hold back a small chuckle that escaped her lips. Revan was perfect at faking.

"You're not getting changed?" she asked, changing the topic. "After all, you've said that it might get warm on Tatooine."

"Actually, I was going to" he replied.

"So why did you come here? From what I know, your quarters are in the opposite direction."

"I had to inform the rest to suit up" he replied simply, earning an annoyed expression from Bastila.

"They're coming with us?" she asked, hoping that somehow the answer would be negative.

"Yeah" Revan responded, noticing the scowl on Bastila's face. "And what? You don't like them?"

"I just hoped that we could spend some time together" she replied. Revan let out a small chuckle, after hearing that.

"As much as I'd love to, Bas, we haven't come here on vacation," he said, putting a lonely strand of her hair behind her ear. "If we complete our mission sooner, then we will have a lot of time for ourselves" he added, partially lying to her. _When we complete this mission, I must leave you,_ he added in his mind, making sure that Bastila didn't sense it with their Force Bond. He didn't want to do that, but he knew that it was his destiny. Or a cruel joke from the Force.

"I hope you're right," she said, unaware of Revan's true intentions. She walked closer to him and embraced him, placing her head on his chest. "I love you, you know?"

"I know" he replied, swallowing the gulp in his throat. "I love you too" he added, placing a delicate kiss on top of her head.

"Well, if we're supposed to hurry, then I'd recommend you to get changed," Bastila said, walking away from him. "I want to spend with you as much time as it's possible" she added with a playful smile that was mimicked by Revan.

"Right away, my dear" he replied, giving her yet another brief kiss, this time on her lips.

* * *

"Don't open the loading ramp before our return," Revan said to Carth who was standing behind him. "Keep the ship locked down all the time on Tatooine. We don't want the heat to make its way on board."

Carth only nodded in response and opened the loading ramp for the five persons to walk out from the Ebon Hawk. Revan, Bastila, Fox, Rex, and Canderous quickly abandoned the ship, wanting the heat to remain outside. As soon as they placed feet on the ground, the loading ramp was closed by Carth.

The first thing that came to their sense was, of course, an extremely high temperature. The strong, hot wind was blowing into their faces, caring with itself the mites of a harsh sand. It was attacking their skin, once in a while making small cuts in it. Revan cursed silently as the sand made contact with the ravaged skin on his left shoulder where his Mandalorian tattoo used to be. Fortunately, he still kept his infected shoulder bandaged, so the omnipresent sand couldn't make its way there.

The temperature was so high that it caused immediately the group of five to start sweating. The small droplets were quickly appearing on their skin, soaking into their clothes. They started to make their way towards the exit of the landing pad. Strangely, no one came to collect the landing fee.

They exited the landing area and found themselves in the small backstreets of the Anchorhead City. Fortunately for them, this part of the town was still covered in shadows, despite the presence of two large stars on the sky above them.

The city was quite aloud, despite it being a small, Force-forsaken place, just like the entire planet. People here seemed to not care about the place where they were living, and everyone was simply doing their daily job, as they were supposed to. Most of the citizens looked like farmers, though Revan had serious doubts if anything could grow here. But they couldn't be living just from the import, could they? Most of them were wearing linen clothes with small holes every here and there. What surprised the former Dark Lord was the fact that they all were wearing shirts with long sleeves and equally long breeches. Some of them had even a pair of gloves on their hands.

But, nevertheless, people here seemed to be enjoying their lives. They were chatting with each other, and cracking jokes, as if they were living on some other, habitable world, like Alderaan. This amazed Revan. He couldn't imagine how anyone would find life here bearable. If he grew up here, he would catch the first better ship that would take him away from this place. And yet these people were resigned to their fate.

They walked in silence through the street that was filled with dozen or so stalls. The merchandises were loudly advertising their products, trying to get the attention of the shoppers. They had literally everything for sale. Starting with some small fruits and vegetables, ending on the parts of the farm equipment. The merchandises were outshouting each other, trying to get as many purchasers as possible.

Revan halted suddenly, telling others to do the same. Something was wrong. The Force was shifting madly around them, and he sensed something on the other side of the wall they were standing at. It felt strangely… familiar. As if he were back in…

Of course! What he sensed were the Dark Jedi from his, or for that matter, Malak's Empire. That's why the sensation was so familiar. It was somewhat similar to what he felt when his former apprentice was around, yet this one was a little less… furious, enraged. The Dark Jedi that were sent by the current Dark Lord, were simple adepts – not even fully lost to the Dark Side. They would be a childish play for him.

"What is it?" Bastila asked. She wasn't so much aware of the Dark Jedi presence as Revan was. Revan smirked slightly.

"A trap" he replied simply, looking upward. The wall in front of them was very high, but for someone who was using the Force, jumping on top of it wasn't that difficult.

"Next move?" Bastila asked another question, earning a wider grin from Revan.

"Spring the trap" he replied and jumped atop of the stone structure in front of them.

As he expected, he noticed three Dark Jedi on the street below him. They did very little, if anything at all, to camouflage themselves. The group of three was standing in the middle of the larger street, dressed in the regular, dark-grey robes that were covering them from their feet to the top of their heads. They had black hoods, gloves, and boots. Their faces were covered with some kind of a scarf that was hiding everything, except for their eyes. They sucked, to say the least when it came to locating their target; Revan was right above them, and they didn't sense him. At least they were holding their lightsabers in their hands, and not kept them clipped nonchalantly to their belts. But still, it wasn't going to help them much.

Revan jumped gracefully off the high wall, landing silently behind the group. They still were unaware of his presence. The former Dark Lord smirked at that. It was all too easy. He walked carefully to three men, and ignited his lightsabers, piercing the first two immediately. The third one had little time to react, as Revan's lightsaber was thrown at him, and the poor man fell on the ground, cut in half. The former Dark Lord looked around, but no one seemed to care about this whole situation.

Revan's companions quickly joined him when they heard the characteristic noise of the lightsabers. They were greeted with the sight of three corpses laying lifelessly on the ground. Bastila scowled at the sight. Even if she took part in this war for quite some time already, it was still disgusting seeing the dead bodies like that.

"Sith assassins here?" she asked, raising her eyebrows so high that they hid under her hair.

"These pathetic excuses for the Dark Jedi were no Sith" Revan replied, looking at the corpses with disgust in his eyes. "But yeah, they were the assassins."

"Did Malak really think that they were going to be any match for us?" Bastila asked surprised. She eyed the dead bodies once more and then cast her glance back at Revan.

"I don't think so" he replied. "Malak might be a foul, but he isn't that stupid. I think that their presence here has something to do with the Star Map. In my opinion, they were only the scouts. They were supposed to deliver the information about our whereabouts. Of course, if they could, they would fight us. Anything to gain something in Malak's eyes."

"So now…" Bastila started and was cut off by Revan who finished for her.

"Now Malak will know that we're on Tatooine because he lost contact with them."

"Is he going to come for us?" Bastila asked slightly nervous. The perspective of meeting the creature that used to be Alek terrified her, even if Revan was still with her.

"I don't think so" Revan replied after a second or so of hesitation. "Tatooine is under the control of the Hutts. Coming here with the Armada would mean just as much as declaring an opened war against them. I don't think that it's something Malak can afford" he said, looking at her. The answer seemed to calm Bastila down, as she visibly relaxed. "Come on guys" he now said, turning to the rest of their small group. "Help me clean this mess."

Rex, Fox, and Canderous silently obeyed, and helped him with getting rid of the bodies. Normally Revan would do it with the Force, but he didn't want to draw any attention. It was a miracle that practically no one noticed this entire situation, and he didn't intend to push his luck any further. So the four men dragged the corpses away from the middle of the street and hid them somewhere in the shadows of one of the many houses. This entire action wasn't challenging in anyways, but the Tatooine's heat was making the simplest tasks difficult. The sweat was now coming freely down their bodies, especially under their armpits and on their faces, hindering their vision.

Bastila was watching them slightly amused. It was funny seeing the four soldiers being exhausted with such simple work. Especially Canderous. This mountain made of muscles was now sweating as the meat at the butcher's when it was being cooked over the fire. The clothes of every one of them were now soaked up with sweat, and soon, an irritating smell came to Bastila's nostrils.

"Enjoying yourself, Princess?" Revan asked her with a teasing smile. "Don't you want to help us?"

"No, no" Bastila replied quickly. "I'm fine here. Besides, you seem to like your task at hand, and I most certainly don't want to deprive you of the fun you're actually having" she said with a playful smile.

"Come on, go ahead" Fox interjected, dragging the second corpse aside. "We left one especially for you."

"I must refuse" Bastila replied, faking an apologetic expression. "You really seem to be enjoying what you're doing. I can't just walk into that and destroy all the fun you have. Besides, you're practically done" she added, and turned her head away, pretending as if there wasn't laying the third dead body.

The young Jedi touched the spot on her neck where Revan's lips made the red mark. She sensed her mother somewhere around, or that's what she thought. After all, she hasn't seen her mother for quite some time, so there was practically no way that she would know how Helena Shan was detectable in the Force. She hasn't met her since she's learned how to use the Force.

But her Jedi instincts told her that her mother was somewhere around here, in the Anchorhead City. She took in a large breath, and slowly let it go. She quickly felt a hand on her right shoulder. She didn't have to open her eyes or use the Force to know who it was. It could only be one person.

"What's happening, Bas?" Revan asked with a whisper. There was no trace of his previous teasing tone. This time his words were gentle, caring, loving. Bastila smiled unwillingly at that. She slowly reopened her eyes, noticing that the rest of their small group was few steps ahead, giving them space to talk freely.

"It's my mother" she replied after a moment of silence. "I sense her here."

Revan didn't respond immediately. He just nodded his head, meaning that he understood. He was still keeping his hand on her shoulder, and now he gently pulled her towards himself, causing her to rest her head against his arm. Such walking position was highly uncomfortable, but she didn't mind that. This simple action showed her just how much of a support Revan was for her. She didn't need words or anything like that. She simply needed the comfort of his body being close to her. She wanted to have this undeniable confirmation that he was there for her. And this is what she received.

"Are you afraid?" he asked after a moment. Bastila thought about that for a while, before shaking her head in contradiction.

"No. I know that I'm not supposed to be afraid of her. After all, I haven't done anything wrong, it's just… it's just that I don't know how I'll react, Rev. I haven't seen her for a long time, and I… I don't miss her. I'd rather see my father, but I don't know if he's there with her."

"I'll be there for you" he replied, embracing her slightly. "As I always am."

Bastila looked upward after hearing that. She had the expression that was clearly saying 'don't give me that bullshit'. Revan met her glare and replied with a playful smile that quickly melted down the cold look that Bastila was giving him. She smiled lightly in response.

"She's here," Bastila said, as they were passing by the doors to the cantina. "I'm sure of it" she added.

"Guys, wait here," Revan said to the three men in front of them. "I and Bastila must go check something in the cantina."

"There's no way I'm letting go such an occasion" Canderous replied. "Sorry Revan, but I don't give a fuck right now about your orders. I need something cool to drink, and I bet that Rex and Fox want as well. So say what you want, but surely I'm walking in" he said, passing by the younger man who had a surprised expression on his face. For the first time in years, someone was able to make Revan speechless. He was watching astounded as Canderous, Rex and Fox were making their way, totally ignoring his command. It took him a while to get along with the ensuing situation. He looked back at Bastila, only to find her giggling slightly.

"What's so funny?" he asked in a little-irritated tone.

"Oh trust me, it's nothing" Bastila replied, holding back another wave of giggles.

"Of course," he said, not even slightly convinced. "So, do we walk in?" he asked, changing the topic. "Or are we going to be standing here and wait for the two suns to burn us to crisp?"

"So eager to meet my mother?" Bastila asked with a teasing smile. Revan rolled his eyes at that.

"Maybe not eager, but, as you've said earlier, as soon as we finish our task here, we will be able to spend some time together" Revan replied. He earned a dreamy smile from the shorter woman.

"Well then, let's not make my mother wait," Bastila said, taking few additional breaths.

"I'm here with you," Revan said, gently squeezing her hand. She replied with the same gesture and brought her lips to his own for a brief kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Let's go."

* * *

 **Okay, so here was the 31** **st** **chapter of 'Price of the Sacrifice'. Let me know what you think of it, and leave a review. I'm asking about it especially those who haven't written any comments or are doing it extremely rarely. I need some callback from you guys to know if you like it. So you know what to do. See you next time!**


	32. Chapter 31

**Hello again. I really have to thank you all, cause my story has already little over 100 reviews and over 20000 views! Thanks for the amazing support you show me, this really encourages me to keep writing it. Of course, writing this story gives me fun, but your support is really helpful as well. So, just as always, I'm asking for reviews, favorites and follows. Also, recently I started writing my original story, and I published it on FictionPress. If you guys like the vibe of the Game of Thrones, then you should check out my story. It's called 'Story of Rozdgalen: War'. On FictionPress I have the same nickname as on Fanfiction: TheProdigy99. And I'm sorry for the long waiting, but it just sort of happened XD.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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Chapter 31

"Excuse me, ma'am," Revan said, coming to the older woman who was standing next to the wall in the cantina. The whole place was dark – in opposite to Tatooine's regular brightness. But, nevertheless, it was bright enough for the former Dark Lord to see well the woman he was talking to. He didn't need the Force to recognize who was standing in front of him.

The similarity between her and Bastila was too big to mistake her for someone else. She had the same grey-blue eyes and brown hair. Her face expression was similar to the one her daughter had, though this one was much harsher.

"Yes. I'm sorry, do I know you?" the woman asked, clearly confused.

"I'm here, Mother," Bastila said, stepping forward. "Or don't you recognize me?" she added with an obvious sarcasm in her tone. A small trail of shock was visible for a split second, but, as soon as it appeared, it turned into an expression that reflected Bastila's tone. If the older woman felt guilty somehow, she didn't show it anyway.

"What do you expect when I haven't as much as had a picture of you since you left?" she replied with the same sarcasm as her daughter used. It was obvious to Revan form who Bastila inherited her attitude. It was as if the female Jedi was standing in front of a mirror that was adding the one who looked into it twenty years, or so."Do you know how long I've been trying to find you?"

"You knew as well as I communication would be impossible once I joined the Order" Bastila replied, her tone still not softening."Now, what is this about? Where is father?" she asked, changing the topic.

"Then you haven't heard" Helena murmured quietly under her nose."I should have known" she added, still directing it to herself, but Bastila heard it.

"Has something happened to him?" she asked, her tone now shifting into a caring one."Are you going to tell me or not?" she added when he only response coming from the older woman was silence.

"Your father is dead, Bastila" Helena replied finally with an angry snap."That is part of the reason why I was looking for you" she added quickly with much calmer tone than before.

Bastila's eyes widened at that. Her expression changed into a shocked one and her mouth formed a small 'o' as she was looking blankly at the woman who gave her life. The words made their way to her mind, but she still had some problem with deciphering them. This was something she completely wasn't prepared for. All sixteen years of her Jedi training certainly didn't prepare her for that.

"Dead? What happened? What did you do to him?!" Bastila kept overwhelming the woman in front of her with questions, not waiting for her to reply to the first one, as she was telling yet another one. Her tone wasn't sarcastic anymore. It has now turned into a worried one.

"Isn't this a lovely reunion? Already she is flinging insults at me. Tell me…" this time she directed her sarcastic tone at Revan."You're one of her friends. Do you treat your mother this way?"

"My mother is long dead if you must know" Revan, who was all the time listening silently to their conversation, replied simply. The answer didn't seem to take Helena off guard. In fact, none of the muscles on her face didn't as much as flinch at the response. Revan had to admit it – he didn't expect such coldness and emotionless from anyone. Even Malak himself was capable of showing feelings every now and then.

"Is that so? Well, I'll be joining her soon enough, I suppose" she replied with now emotionless tone.

"I was told you were sick. Are you actually dying, or is it merely melodrama for my benefit?"

"Such sweet things you say," she said with a sigh."Perhaps I should tell you everything, first, before we start arguing again."

"You could start by telling me what you got father into that killed him," Bastila said, crossing her arms over her chest. Helena rolled her eyes in response.

"I hadn't realized Jedi were so spiteful" Helena commented quietly."You want me to tell you I brought your father here for an expedition, do you? Do you want to blame me for his death? You never accepted that your father loved going on his treasure hunts, leaving you alone with me. I was always to blame for everything, what else is new? So yes, fine. I brought your father here to look for Krayt Dragon pearls. He took an expedition into the Tatooine desert, and he died" she said as if she was talking about some daily events, and not describing the death of her beloved one.

"How can you be sure of that? father is an experienced…" Bastila tried to say, still not accepting the thought of her father being possibly dead, but was quickly cut off by her mother.

"Do you think I would look for you if I wasn't sure? They were attacked by the Krayt Dragon and one of the guides fled the battle. He saw your father killed" she replied with a tone that was turning slowly into the angry one. In order to emphasize what she meant, she accented every single word of the last sentence. Bastila's face has literally dropped at that. Despite how much she wanted, she couldn't find any trail of deception in her mother's voice. She spoke the truth, no matter how hard it was.

"I… see" she commented quietly, not looking at the older woman. For the first time in Force knows how long, Revan saw her so depressed."So what do you want from me? Credits?" she asked in emotionless tone, still looking at her feet.

"Don't be insulting" Helena replied with a disgusted wince."I want you to use those senses of yours. I want you to find him. I want you to bring back his Holocron" she said in a demanding tone.

"Why? So you can sell it?" Bastila asked sarcastically, finally looking at her conversationalist.

"Is it too much to ask that I have something to remember your father by?" Helena replied with a rhetorical question."Of course it is, isn't it? You couldn't be bothered" she mocked.

"We're very busy on a mission from Jedi Council" Bastila answered with the same mockery in her tone."I doubt I'll have the time. Ask my companion, if you doubt me" she said, turning to Revan who zoned out at some point in the conversation. He wasn't even looking at them – his sight was directed at the three men who walked into the cantina right before them. They were standing at the counter, sipping drink after drink. Apparently, they managed to make some friends, cause they were surrounded by a group of various humans and aliens. Revan was somewhat calm, cause he didn't sense any hostile intentions from the strangers. Thankfully, Canderous, Fox, and Rex were capable of taking care of themselves.

He turned to the two women after a moment of silence, and few elbows from Bastila. He looked disorientated, as he eyed the smaller and younger woman who was standing right next to him. After few or so seconds, his eyes widened in realization that he was supposed to answer.

"Why don't you find the Holocron yourself, Miss… Er… Helena?" he asked with hesitation, making his best to recall what the conversation was about.

"As my daughter was quick to point out, I haven't the coin to hire another expedition. Nor am I the adventurer my husband was" Helena replied, acting as if she didn't notice the man's absent tone. The reply only made things worse for Revan. He was supposed to say something else, cause he still didn't give the answer that his lover demanded from him.

"Don't you want to find your father's remains, Bastila?" he asked, trying to make her do all the talking, as he still wasn't fully aware of the topic.

"What remains there would be? Krayt Dragons are huge predators, easily able to devour a human, and the desert is a harsh environment. Finding my father's remains would be even more difficult than finding his Holocron. An ignoble end to a fine man" Bastila replied, crossing her arms over her chest. There was no way she was going to let Revan escape this. After all, he said that he always was, and always will be there for her. He was already an adult man and had to learn to take consequences of his words.

"What about your mother's sickness?" the man asked, skillfully avoiding the responsibility of leading the talk.

"It doesn't seem to have anything to do with what she's asking. Are you actually sick, Mother?" Bastila asked doubtfully.

"What difference does it make to you? None, I'm sure. Just find your father's Holocron and you won't have to worry about me again either way" Helena replied, clearly showing that the conversation was over.

"That's the kind of response I would expect. Very well. We'll look for the Holocron if we have time. I can't promise anything more than that" Bastila said, also considering the conversation for done.

"I believe your father was headed north towards the Sand People enclave. I would check along that route, dear. Do please hurry" Helena said as the two of them started to make their way towards the exit of the cantina. Bastila said nothing in response.

They picked up the three soldiers who were a little drunk already, and left the building, walking directly into the blistering heat of Tatooine. The contrast was enormous. The cool, friendly air of the cantina was quickly replaced with a suffocating hot wind that was spreading throughout the planet's surface, caring with itself countless amounts of sand grains.

"Well," Revan began after a short moment of awkward silence. "That was rather easy."

"Yeah" Bastila mumbled. She seemed… distant. Her walking was automatic – it seemed that her feet were caring her without her acknowledging it. Every now and then she stumbled upon some small rock, losing balance for a blink of an eye, but she was immediately regaining her footing. Her gaze was cast downward on her feet. Her expression was emotionless, just as the tone of her mother. Revan used the Force to gently probe her mind.

Just as he expected, her mind was one big mess. Her thoughts were pacing back and forth on the subject she was talking about with her mother just mere seconds ago. The sudden information of her father's death caused Bastila to lose control over her emotions. Pain, longing, anger, disappointment and many others were raging inside of her mind, causing her to wage an inner battle.

"I can sense you, you know?" she asked him after no longer than a minute since Revan entered her mind.

"Sorry" he apologized, leaving her mind. "I just wanted to…" he started but was cut off by Bastila.

"It's okay. It's just… I'm… I don't know what to think about all of this" she said, looking down at her feet. "I guess I just haven't expected my father to be dead. I haven't seen him for sixteen years, it's… difficult to think about it" she muttered, still not looking into his eyes.

"I understand" Revan replied. He was eyeing her carefully. It seemed that some of the pain now vanished, once she spoke it out loud, but some of it still remained in her. It was sensible with the Force and visible with the bare eye.

"Revan," Fox said, coming to him. He was breathing heavily, and sweat was running down all over him. "Revan, you need to see it."

"Calm down, Fox" he replied, shushing him. "And not so loud. Now, what is this that I have to see?"

"It's… difficult to describe it" the man replied, after a moment of hesitation. "I just found something in a nearby shop. I promise, you will be pleased when you see it."

Thoughts of Bastila's current state abandoned his mind in that moment. He really got intrigued with his companion's words. His thoughts were too much of a mess to read them clearly, so he just had to follow him. His words also intrigued all the rest of their group.

It wasn't long before they reached one of the buildings made of sandstone. It was a droid shop, ran by an Ithorian. Revan didn't know what was supposed to interest him so much at first, but then he noticed a rusty-red droid, standing in the corner of the shop. His lips immediately curled up in a smile.

"Oh no," he heard Rex speaking behind him. "Not this again." Revan's smile grew even wider.

"What is this?" the seller said, coming to them. "A customer I don't recognize? Perhaps you bring off-world money to Yuka Laka? I have one droid ready to go. I just finished making him. An HK-47."

"You haven't made him" Revan replied simply, not even looking at him. He came closer to the rusted droid, and examine him carefully.

"No? I mean… I… I repaired him, yes. I repaired him. I found him in the garbage next to my shop."

"You haven't repaired him" Revan replied with the same emotionless tone. "He lacks the armor for the main body part, there are holes in many spots, and the electrical wiring is visible. It's a miracle that it's still standing. You cannot say that you repaired him, because, if anything, he was barely touched by a mechanic. It's in a lamentable condition, to say the least."

The Ithorian seller had an expression like after seeing a ghost. He clearly didn't expect this was coming, and reddened visibly, not saying a word. He turned around and returned to the counter, murmuring something to himself, but Revan wasn't paying any attention to him. He was fully focused on the droid in front of him.

"Greeting:" the rusty-red droid said with a mechanical voice. "Hello to you, prospective purchaser. I am referred to as HK-47, a fully functional Systech Corporation droid, skilled in both combat and protocol functions. Query: Would you be so kind as to purchase this model from Yuka Laka? It would serve my purposes to be removed from his ownership."

Revan suppressed a laughter. At least HK's main programming remained untouched. It still was the same sarcastic, mostly hostile droid it used to be.

"I'm taking that droid" he announced loudly, so the seller could hear him. This seemed to work magic on the Ithorian.

"Good. It's a very solid machine, in good shape. I can't let it go for less than five thousand Credits" he replied, completely forgetting Revan's comments about HK's condition.

"You must be kidding me" the former Dark Lord replied, looking at the Ithorian as if a second head suddenly grew on his body. "There's no way I'm paying that much."

"Then I'm afraid we won't have a deal, off-worlder."

"No, no, no, no, you haven't understood me" Revan replied, fully turning to him. "I said that I'm taking this droid, and I didn't change my mind. You lower the price, or I take this model without paying. Make a decision, Ithorian."

"Four thousand! Not a Credit less!"

"He lacks the most important armor parts, the electrical wiring is visible, and you call it a good shape? You really have to change the way you see the word because this droid clearly isn't in a good shape. I'll have to spend some additional Credits for the repair parts, and this will cost me also my time, and I don't have much of it. You have to lower the price."

"Lower? How low are you expecting me to go? These are difficult times. The debt the droid covered was a large one."

"I'm not interested in your life story, Ithorian. You will lower the price" Revan said, waving a hand in front of the seller's face. Such influencing on others' minds wasn't bringing him any sort of joy, but right now it was necessary.

"I will lower the price" Ithorian repeated absentmindedly. "Three thousand Credits."

"It's still a little too much" Revan insisted, adding even more of the mind control. "Drop to two thousand, and we have a deal," he said, looking Ithorian directly in the eye. The mind control trick worked its magic.

"Two thousand then," the seller said. Revan smiled victoriously.

"Here. Take this" he said, handing him few Credits chips. He turned around only to see Bastila watching him closely with a look that could kill, and her hands crossed on her chest.

"What?" he asked, pretending as if he didn't know what she was trying to tell him by her posture.

"It troubles me to see you behaving this way" she replied with the same look that could have ashamed even Master Vrook Lamar himself. "Such acts can lead to the Dark Side" she added. Revan burst out laughing at that.

"I'm sorry, but hearing you lecturing me about the lure of the Dark Side is quite funny. After all, you aren't so immaculate. We spent the previous night together, remember?" he asked her, not caring if the rest of their team could hear him. Bastila's face turned into a deep shade of red.

"That's something different," she said, still trying to look down on him. She earned yet another series of laughing from Revan.

"And just how exactly is that any different?" he asked, wiping a tear of amusement from the corner of his eye. "Both go against the Jedi Code, which I don't give a fuck about."

"Next week," she said through clenched teeth. "you sleep in your own quarters." With this, she turned around and left the shop.

"It's really interesting to see you two arguing" Canderous commented. Revan turned around to see the three men standing next to the wall. They all had somewhat amused expression and were suppressing laughter. Revan looked at them with a criticism written on his face.

"There's nothing to laugh at" Revan snapped at them. "Better count for something and drag HK to the Hawk. I got the make some repairs on it" he added, turning around to leave. He ignored the still laughing three men, and walked outside.

He expected to see Bastila somewhere around, but she was nowhere to be seen. When he tried to reach to her through their Force Bond, he found out that she blocked him. He smiled somewhat unwillingly under his nose. Even if Bastila was an adult, and, by all means, was a woman now, she still could act like a girl. Especially when it came to reacting to being ashamed publically. That's something that still hasn't changed in her since she was a little Padawan girl.

He decided to let her go. Perhaps she needed some time on her own, or maybe she was on her way to the Ebon Hawk? He didn't know. Nevertheless, she couldn't go anyway far – she had to be somewhere in the city. If only she returned before the nightfall. Nights on Tatooine could be dangerous, even in the city.

Abandoning all thoughts of Bastila, he walked towards the Ebon Hawk. He might as well spend the rest of the day on repairing HK-47. The twin suns were already starting to set, and soon the night would fall. He wouldn't go for the Star Map today, that was sure.

He got to the Hawk rather quickly. Fox, Rex, and Canderous were right behind him, with HK walking on its two legs, though his walk was somewhat unstable. Revan was certain of one thing: he would spend a LOT of time on repairing his favorite killing machine.

* * *

He had no idea how much time passed since he returned to the Ebon Hawk. Could be minutes, or maybe hours, or maybe even a day. Lack of any clock could make one's life misery, but, nevertheless, he was content with the result of his work.

In front of him HK-47 – the best assassin machine this Galaxy has ever seen – was now repaired, and could stand firmly on his two legs. In the cargo hold of the ship, he found some parts that allowed him to remake the main body armor, and to patch up some loopholes every here and there. The last thing was programming.

Even if he remained somewhat the same, one thing was different. He didn't have his assassination protocols activated. This, and he still didn't recognize him. Something was wrong with his programming, but Revan still didn't know what.

He was checking the most complicated part of all of his electrical wiring – his head. It was a masterpiece indeed, but finding something in this was almost impossible.

Almost.

It took him yet another long while, but Revan finally found what was responsible for HK's dysfunction. A restraining bolt. It was a standard ploy of the droid sellers. It made sure that the droid wouldn't run away from its owner, but at the same time it was cutting back some of the droid's programming. With little to no effort, he removed it, tossing it aside. It seemed that everything was now fair and square, so he turned the HK unit on.

Its eyes glowed red immediately, and, after initializing some of the processes, it straightened itself up, looking at Revan.

"Greetings: Welcome, purchaser. Thank you for purchasing me from that pathetic meatbag Yuka Laka. I was wasting myself right there, and now I can put my skills to a good use. Query: Do you want me to annihilate someone for you? It's been a while since I killed some meatbag."

"Welcome HK" Revan replied with a smile. "It's been a while since I've seen you last time. I wondered where have you gone missing."

"Amazed statement: Excuse me, master, but I don't recall us ever meeting before, and if we did, we wouldn't be speaking, and… Commentary: I am… experiencing something unusual, master. My programming is activating my deleted memory core. I believe I have a… a homing system that is restoring it, master."

"Do you recognize me now, HK?" Revan asked with the same smile.

"Answer: Yes, I do, master. It seems that the homing system deliberately restores my deleted memory core upon… Upon returning to my original master."

"I was worried that I've lost you, HK" Revan commented, patting the droid's shoulder lightly.

"Observation: this was very meatbag-alike, master. Please, do not do it ever again to me. I can't stand this all water in your body, master. Commentary: How the constant sloshing doesn't drive you mad, I have no idea."

Revan laughed loudly at that. Apparently, HK was all safe and sound.

"Query:" HK continued on. "Where are we, master? Am I supposed to begin shooting? Just say the word, master."

"No HK" Revan replied, holding back yet another laughter. "We're amongst friends, and no shooting is necessary."

"Resignation: You're such a cruel master, master" HK replied with something that could be described as a sigh, if a droid could do so. "Query: But can I at least sever them? This won't kill them, but will allow me to stretch myself from the recent… stagnancy."

"Later, HK" Revan replied with yet another small laughter. "I promise."

"Resignation: Ah, as you wish, master" he replied, with a very human-like, resigned statement.

"I don't think I want to know where you found this droid the first time" Canderous commented. He was standing against the doorframe, with his hands crossed on his chest.

"I've made it myself" Revan replied, still not looking at the Mandalorian. He was still busy with cleaning after repairing HK-47.

"You did it yourself?" Canderous replied, repeating what Revan just said. "I didn't suspect you we were also an engineer, besides a warrior."

"Well, as you see, I have also a brain, not only muscles."

"Commentary: I do not know that meatbag, master. How can you be sure that he doesn't have any hostile intentions? Query: Can I deprive him of a limb or two, master? This way you would be sure that this meatbag can be trusted."

"Meatbag?!" Canderous exclaimed, straightening himself. "I'll show you a meatbag, you little trash compactor!"

"Answer: Come and do your best, meatbag. I'm sure you'll make a good punching bag."

"Relax, Canderous" Revan stepped in, before the Mandalorian and the droid could start fighting. "This is a part of its programming."

"Its programming?!" Canderous repeated, not believing his ears. "This piece of trash just called me a 'meatbag'!"

"Clarification: Not 'piece of trash', you pathetic meatbag, but fully capable protocol droid. I know over a million of the Galactic dialects, as well as dozens of martial arts. I'm specialized in assassin protocols."

"Yes, its programming" Revan continued on, pretending not to hear HK's interjection. "That's how I made it. I just found the term 'meatbag' very… amusing."

"Huh" Canderous replied, shrugging his arms. He still was watching HK with a mistrustful gaze.

"Trust me, you'll like this unit. Much of his programming was based on the Mandalorian behavior. Especially, his lust for combat. Just give it a chance. It'll continue on calling you a 'meatbag', but it won't mean that it doesn't like you. It's just its way to communicate with the others."

"Mandalorians do not call others 'meatbags'!" Canderous snapped at him.

"It's not something that I intended to add to its programming. It just came along. HK used this term for the first time to describe Malak. Since that time, I've made him use this term on everyone. Except for me, of course."

"You're kidding me" Canderous replied, quickly forgetting what HK previously said. "It called Malak a 'meatbag'? And how did he react?"

"Oh, he just felt offended" Revan replied with a laugh. "He turned around on his heel and acted like a princess. For two days on I couldn't stop laughing when I saw him."

Canderous laughed loudly at that. Imagining one of the most powerful Sith in the Known Galaxy acting like that could entertain literally anyone.

"I think I can find some way to find a common ground with that droid" the Mandalorian commented.

"Commentary:" HK interjected once again. "Just please make sure to stand few feet from me. This constant sloshing of your body fluids is really driving me mad, and now I'm imprisoned on the ship full of meatbags" it said. Revan and Canderous only laughed at that.

* * *

 **Okay, so there was another chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Now that we have HK in the crew, we can have some more fun every now and then XD. Just as I said earlier, I'm writing also another story, so the frequency of updating 'Price of the Sacrifice' won't increase very much. I won't abandon this story, and as I said, I will write sequel and prequel, but it will take me some time, so please be patient. As always, I encourage you to leave a comment, and add this story to your favorites, if you haven't done it yet. And if you're looking forward to seeing some 'Dark Side Revan', then please be patient. It will be included in this story, but later, as well as a duel between Master Vrook and Revan. Okay, with this said I'll rest a while, and I'll start writing another chapter, so see you guys next time!**


	33. Chapter 32

**Oh my God, guys, I'm sooooo sorry that you had to wait for such a long time. Many things happened in my life recently, and I just didn't have an opportunity to sit down and write this chapter. Also, I'm in Bulgaria now until the end of the next week. To all of my Bulgarian readers: your country is amazing. I'm coming here every year since I was a kid. The Black See is amazing. Weather is amazing. And most of all: people here are amazing, and I'm soooo happy that I can rest here. I'm sending you my deepest regards. I'm in a small town called Sinemoretz, and even after ten years of coming here, I'm still amazed by the beauty of this place. Also, as I mentioned recently, I started writing my original story (here is the link for those of you who might be interested: /historia/story-of-rozdgalen-the-war-9514121) . It's still short, but I'm working on it, just as I'm working on 'Price of the Sacrifice'. Okay, enough talk. Here you have chapter 32 that all of you have been waiting for. As always, leave a comment, add it to your favorites and follow it if you haven't done it yet. Have a nice read, guys ;)**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 32

"Where's Bastila?" Revan asked, entering the cockpit. Carth was resting now, leaving Wolfie to keep guard. Rest of the crew was sleeping as well. "She's not in her chambers."

"And how exactly did you find out about that?" Wolfie asked with an amused grin. "As far as I'm concerned, she forbid you to enter her chambers."

"That's none of your business" he replied, irritated to no end. He knew that his recent arguing with Bastila would be a topic of jokes for the group of soldiers. "I checked all over the ship. She's not anywhere. Not in the cargo hold, not in the cockpit, not in her chambers, not with any of the female part of our crew. She's nowhere."

"Well, you just answered your question. I haven't seen her since you walked out on the surface" he added quickly, seeing Revan's anger rising noticeably. "She must be somewhere out there. It's unlikely for her to leave the planet."

"I have to go find her," he said, turning around.

"There is a sandstorm coming!" Wolfie shouted to him. He stood up from his seat, facing Revan. "It's dangerous to go outside now."

"If the sandstorm comes, then it will get her as well" Revan countered. "Force only knows where she is. She might be in trouble. I have to find her" he reasoned him, clearly knowing that none of Wolfie's arguments would convince him to do otherwise. He quickly left the cockpit with his pilot following him closely behind.

Revan entered his quarters and was burrowing through his clothes. Any piece of a material would be useful out there. He quickly found some loose shirts and wrapped his head with them. He then left his room, still being followed by Wolfie. He quickly reached the loading ramp.

"Shut the ramp right after I step on the sand," he said, pulling a lever that opened the ship. "I'll contact you when I find her."

Wolfie nodded in agreement, still being somewhat skeptical towards Revan's plan. He decided not to speak his thoughts out loud, though.

Revan stepped into Tatooine's hostile environment. It wasn't as hot as it was earlier. Now it was even cold. He trembled visibly. The sand was flying in every direction, being carried by the wind. He bettered the shirts on his face, leaving only a thin strap for his eyes. The only source of light was a moon that was shining brightly at the night sky. Full moon gave him a perfect view onto his surroundings.

Revan left the landing strip and walked into the city of Anchorhead. Everyone was in some kind of shelter right now. The sandstorm was coming closer and closer. More and more sand was being carried by the wind. He checked his lightsabers and marched into the gathering storm.

* * *

"She's not anywhere in the city" Revan reported through his wrist communicator after few hours of fruitless searching.

"Then come back to the ship."

"There's no way I'm leaving her out there" he countered. "If I don't come back, you will locate me."

"She might as well be dead" Wolfie continued on. "There's no point in you dying as well. We need you."

"And I need her" Revan countered. "I'm not coming back without her" he added, turning off his communicator.

 _Damn you, Bastila. Why did you have to block me?_ He thought, cursing silently. The storm has almost reached the walls of the city. It was almost impossible to see anything.

Revan marched towards the gate. Normally, there was always a Czerka member at the guard, but now no one was standing there. The former Dark Lord opened the solid doors and walked into the Dune Sea.

He saw in front of himself a large cloud of sand. He cursed even more. Even if Bastila blocked him, he still could sense, at some point, where she might have been. At least now he was sensing her stronger.

Revan was walking straightly towards the cloud of sand in front of him. Once again he bettered the shirts on his face. The coarse sand was making small cuts on his skin around his eyes. He had to squint his eyes very tightly in order to keep sand away. Bastila's aura was growing stronger and stronger.

He had no idea how long he was marching through the dunes that were collapsing under his feet. The raging sandstorm was constricting his breathing and his visibility. He held one of his hands next to his face, covering his eyes as much as it was possible. He then heard one of the most annoying sounds in the entire Galaxy. The Sand People.

Revan reached out with the Force to scan the area around him. He had no idea why they were still out in the Dune Sea in the middle of the sandstorm. He unclipped his lightsabers from his belt.

The first shot came to him immediately after he ignited his blue lightsaber. He deflected it with ease. He then ignited his second weapon, preparing to face his enemies, even if there wasn't much of them. He quickly deflected another shot, sending it back at the Tusken Raider. He heard him yelping in pain. There wasn't much of them left.

Another rain of shots came at him from different directions. He deflected some of them, but from most of them, he was forced to flee. He dodged the shots with effortless ease. Revan quickly launched himself at one of his enemies that was standing good few meters away from him. He reached him in no time, slicing him in half. The Tusken Raider didn't have time to make any sound.

Revan spun on his heel, what was rather difficult in the sand, and threw his two sabers in the direction where the shots were coming from. The blue and red light illuminated the cloud of sand, allowing him to see two of his opponents before they fell dead on the sand with their heads flying around two meters away from them.

Revan suddenly screamed in agony as the enormous pain erupted in his infected shoulder. He smelled the blood coming out of his body, and the characteristic odor of the burning flesh. The last of the Tusken Raiders managed to hit him. He spun on his heel once again and launched himself at his last enemy. He reached him in few quick paces, and cut him in half, painting the sand around red. This was the last of them.

He gritted his teeth and used the Force to lessen the pain that was clouding his mind. What was even worse, the sand had almost a free access to his wound now. It was sure that the wound would be infected again. _Fucking animal,_ Revan accursed at the dead Tusken Raider. He pressed his fingers to his aching shoulder and felt the blood sipping from it. He cursed once again and marched forward. With every step, Bastila's aura was growing stronger.

He sensed what he was approaching. He couldn't see it with his eyes, due to the raging sandstorm, but the Force allowed him to see it with his mind. In front of him was the enclave of Sand People. And Bastila's aura was coming from there.

The Force gave him a warning literally seconds before a blaster fire passed the spot where his head was previously. He dodged it, jumping to the side. He groaned in pain as he rolled around on his right shoulder. Another two shots came in his direction. This time Revan was prepared for that. He dodged the shots skillfully now, and without harming his wounded arm. He quickly drew his lightsabers and deflected the upcoming shots back where they came from. He expected to hear a scream of pain, but instead, he heard a characteristic noise of exploding machine. He ran up to the place where the shots were coming from and saw a destroyed turret. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't think that the Sand People would have such an advanced technology.

He opened the wooden doors with the Force, still holding his ignited lightsabers. Just as he expected, the enclave was filled with the Sand People. He swung his lightsabers, making his way through the inhabitants of the desert. The dead bodies were collapsing on the floor with cuts in different places. Some were cut in half, others had deep gashes going down from shoulder to the hip. Some of the corpses lacked their heads, and above everything else, the odor of burning body was filling a wooden village.

Revan didn't stop for even a second in his dance of death. The usually dark enclave was now filled with blue and red lights that were mixing together into a purple color. It wasn't long before every Tusken Raider was killed.

Revan breathed heavily. The fight exhausted him and caused, even more, pain in his shoulder that was already in a bad condition. He closed his eyes to prevent sweat coming into them. He undid the shirts from his face and wiped his forehead with a sleeve.

He forced himself to march forward, as Bastila's aura was growing even stronger. He was sure that she was somewhere in the nearby rooms. It took him some time to find the right one, and many times he had to lean against the wall for support. But he found her.

Bastila was locked in one of the smallest room in the entire enclave. She had her clothes on but was laying there unconscious. The only wound visible was a gash of a medium size that was on her forehead. Most likely it was caused by a strong impact. A small dribble of blood was coming from it and was forming a not so big poodle around Bastila's head. Revan closed the distance between them in two quick strides. He knelt at her side.

Even if he wasn't trained in healing, he did his best to close the small wound on her forehead. He channeled the Force through his fingertips and trailed it alongside the gash. Bastila flinched a little under his touch, but still, she didn't open her eyes. At least the wound was closed now. Revan smiled weakly. Then he collapsed next to her. The last thing he remembered was an enormous pain that exploded in his right shoulder.

* * *

"Alen, are you there?" a voice asked. Revan woke up slowly. For few solid seconds, he had no idea where he was or what he was doing there. Then the question resounded again. "For the tenth, fucking time I repeat: are you there?" the same voice asked. Revan looked around, clearly having no idea who was speaking, but when his wrist communicator vibrated on his hand, he tried to reply, but his throat screamed in protest. He swallowed some of his saliva to lubricate his dried throat. Then he tried to reply again, this time with a better effect.

"Who's this?" he asked. His mind was still clouded.

"Thank the Force, or whatever shit, you, Jedi, turn to in such moments. I thought you were gone for good."

"Who's this?" he repeated.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! It's me. Wolfie" the voice replied. Revan searched through his mind in order to find who was the owner of this voice and name. It didn't take him long before all of his consciousness returned to him.

"Easy there, Wolf," he said to his communicator. "What is it?"

"You were supposed to drop a line after you find Bastila. Meanwhile, you disappear for few hours, not saying a word. Good thing you reply now. And what? Have you found her?"

"Yes. We'll be coming back in not long time. Prepare the medical room."

"What happened?"

"Bastila picked up some scars recently. I just want to make sure she's all right."

"You'll have everything prepared. I'll pick you up. Where are you?"

"Uh. I don't know exactly. We're in an enclave, but I have no idea where it is. Can't you pick up my signal?"

"The sandstorm broke most of our detectors. The repairs will take some time."

"We'll find our way back then. I believe we're not far from the Anchorhead."

"Okay. I'll let you know if we did some progress. Wolfie out" the pilot said, and with this, the communicator went silent. Revan lowered his hand. He looked to the side.

Bastila was slowly waking up from unconsciousness. She groaned and shut her eyes tighter as the sunlight was coming to her. Revan immediately came to her in order to help her up. She placed the palm of her hand on her forehead when she felt pain in that spot. The young Jedi traced her fingers alongside the scar that was now sealed up.

"Where am I?" she asked, still not opening her eyes. She didn't have to. She knew who was with her.

"In some shithole" Revan replied, still keeping his supporting arm behind her back. "But it's okay. I'm here with you."

"I'm sorry, Rev" she whispered, finally opening her eyes. She wasn't looking at him, though. She had her eyes focused on the ground. "It's my fault."

"Come on. Don't be too harsh on yourself" he replied. "You couldn't foresee it."

"But I could act more like an adult, and not like a kid."

"Well, that's true. You acted like some spoiled brat" he said. She lowered her head even more. "But what happened next wasn't your fault. I'm just happy that nothing serious happened to you" he added, and embraced her, pulling her in. She willingly gave up, and returned the hug, putting her head on his shoulder.

"And I'm sorry for what I said in the shop," she said after a moment of cuddling. "You know that I didn't mean it, don't you?" she asked, looking at him. Revan laughed at that.

"I know. I bet you wouldn't last without me for the entire week" he replied, teasing her. He watched with a grin as Bastila's face turned into a deep shade of red. "Come on. Let's get moving" he added before she could reply anyway. He helped her to stand up on her feet.

"What happened here?" Bastila asked as she was watching the battlefield with shock and horror in her eyes. Revan just kept on walking.

"And what do you think?" he replied with a question. "I am the Dark Lord of the Sith, the Revanchist, the next Mandalore, savior and the conqueror of the Republic, and they captured the love of my life. Was I supposed to negotiate with them? This was the only option."

Bastila looked unconvinced, but she didn't say anything. They left the enclave and headed towards the Anchorhead.

* * *

"There you are" Jolee greeted them when they entered the Ebon Hawk. "I was wondering where you two have disappeared."

"Bastila got lost somewhere along the route. I simply went to find her" Revan replied with a smile.

"Is that everything you've got to say?" a question was spoken. Revan's smile vanished and was replaced now with a look of surprise. He quickly noticed Juhani who was standing behind the old Jedi Knight. "You simply went to find her?"

"What's gotten into you, Juhani?" Revan asked, clearly not knowing what she meant.

"I sensed what you did" she replied angrily, keeping her hands on her hips. Her yellow, cat eyes seemed to be piercing through Revan's soul. He met her glare with his own cold one.

"And what is that so terrible that I have done, hmm?" he asked, stepping forward.

"You butchered them" she spit through gritted teeth. "All of them."

"And even if, then what of it?" he replied with a question. "I did what was necessary to free Bastila."

"Is a mass murder a mean to you for achieving things? You murdered them! What did you feel when you were cutting them down? Power? Hatred? Satisfaction? What did you feel?!" she yelled at him, demanding an answer, and causing every member of the crew to gather around them. Revan took one more step forward.

"I felt cold handles of my lightsabers and the heat of battle" he replied with a quiet, yet powerful tone. The coldness of his reply that was also visible in his eyes caused Juhani to step back a little.

"You saved me from the Dark Side" she replied. "And now you're walking down the path that I did. I cannot allow you to do that" Juhani said with a firm tone. Revan laughed at her.

"And what would you do about it? Will you send me back to the Jedi Council? Will you lecture me? Or perhaps you will strike me down, hmm? I remind you that we are on the important mission, and we don't have time for such stupidities. You can go back to Dantooine if you want to. I don't care what you think about my deeds. I did what was necessary, and you can't change it. Fox" he said, turning to the soldier. "Take Bastila to the medical room and take care of her. Rex and Canderous, you go with me for the Star Map. We lost already too much time" he said, and turned around to leave the ship.

"So, I guess that you know where the Map is?" Jolee asked Revan when they left the ship. The former Dark Lord turned around with a look of surprise on his face. "What? I'm coming with you. It's not like I'm going to get any sunburns" he added with a joyful smirk. "Besides I need to speak with you. So, shouldn't we go? You said moments ago that we already wasted much time."

Revan nodded in response and started walking through the Anchorhead towards the exit of the city. The sandstorm ravaged some of the buildings in the city. Everything was now covered with an unusual amount of sand. People seemed to not care about the current state of their city, as they were attending their daily rituals. Apparently, the sandstorms happened often here, so everyone was already used to them.

They walked in silence until they reached the gate. This time there was a Czerka employee guarding the way out from the city. At first, he didn't want to let them go, but it took a simple wave of Revan's hand to make him change his mind. They were allowed to enter the Dune Sea.

Now that the sandstorm was over, Revan could have a better look at the never-ending desert. It was stretching out in every direction, being limited only by the horizon. The sand was deflecting the sunlight back at them, causing them to squint their eyes. The former Dark Lord shielded his eyes with his hand, casting some shadow on his face. It still was extremely bright, but it was better than nothing.

Revan began to march forward. He remembered pretty well where the Star Map was located in. It was placed few miles away from Anchorhead and reaching it seemed like the eternity. But flying with the Ebon Hawk so close to the planet's surface was dangerous, especially on Tatooine. There was an extremely large risk that the sand would get into some important parts of the ship, and cause massive damage, making them waste time on repairs. It was already enough that the sandstorm damaged the detectors. They certainly didn't need any more problems.

Revan slowed his pace at some point. When he saw the questioning looks from Rex and Canderous, he showed them to keep going. Jolee slowed down as well.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" Revan asked when they were beyond the earshot of the two soldiers.

"Juhani's reaction could have been exaggerated, but she was right" Jolee replied, not bothering to start their conversation with some neutral topic. "Your deeds from the previous night left an echo in the Force. What you did is the reason why Jedi are forbidden to fall in love. Love can make our lives happy and can bring joy, but it can also make us do terrible things."

"Am I supposed to break up with her then?" Revan replied clearly irritated. "Is this what you're trying to say?"

"No" Jolee replied immediately. He acted as if he didn't hear Revan's tone. "I'm not condemning the relationship you and Bastila have. It's additionally intensified by the Bond you two share, so I know that it is inevitable. Never in my life have I condemned love itself. It's what brings happiness to this piece of shit we call Galaxy. But I condemn stupid decisions that people make while being under influence of love. Your deeds from the previous night are such an example."

"As far as I'm concerned, love means taking responsibility for another one, and protecting this person. This is what I did."

"You murdered dozens of Sand People, only because Bastila acted like a highfalutin girl. I bet your eyes turned to gold at that very moment. You already were on the Dark Side. You claim that you accepted and rejected both Sides of the Force, but you're pivoting dangerously close to the Dark. Perhaps you're right, and you can control yourself. Maybe your turn to the Dark Side was indeed a sacrifice and not a fall. But perhaps at some point in the future, you'll return, and not by choice. Maybe you'll fall, and you will bring an unspeakable horror to the Galaxy that you want to save. I'm asking you not to break up with Bastila, because you need her, and she needs you. I'm asking you to control your feelings. For most of your life, you were being trained as a Jedi. Prove now that these years haven't been for nothing."

"And what can you possibly know about love, old man?" Revan spit back furiously. "You know nothing about it. You don't know how it feels to be in love!"

"I know more than you do, kid" Jolee replied, still staying calm. "I was in love, which is why the Jedi Council wanted me to stay away from the Order. I was just like you, maybe except for the part of turning to the Dark Side and embracing it. I thought the same as you. The Jedi, with their damnable sense of over-caution, told me and many other students that love is something to avoid. Thankfully I knew that wasn't true. Love doesn't lead to the Dark Side. Passion can lead to rage and fear, as it led you, but it can be controlled. But passion is not the same thing as love. Controlling your passion while being in love… that's what they should teach you to beware. But love, itself, will save you… not condemn you. As it saved me a long time ago." Revan raised his eyebrows at that. "It may sound ridiculous, but I also was young, just like you. And I was also in love, just like you. I had a wife. I was saved by love. Perhaps saved from the Dark Side itself, I don't know. But never in my life have I done something like you did. I never killed for love."

"And how did your love-story ended, hmm?" Revan asked. His irritation was slowly disappearing.

"She died."

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't protect her" Jolee replied quietly. Revan smirked at that.

"You've just proven my point, old man," he said, emphasizing ending. "I will burn this Galaxy down if only it would save Bastila from any harm."

"And you've just proven my point, kid" Jolee replied with the same tone. "Perhaps both of us acted wrong, but I still stand by what I said earlier. Love should never make you kill someone. Even those you consider being mindless beasts. You think that they didn't know love? Most of them had children. Many of the men you slaughtered were in love with a woman, just as you are. Have you ever thought about that? Of course, you haven't. After all, why someone's feelings should be equal to yours? You still are under an influence of the Dark Side. You can deny it, but it is a truth. I can only hope that it won't make you do stupid decisions. With good intentions, hell is paved. I know that you can consider me to be just a grumpy old man who doesn't know what he's saying and will soon have problems with defecation but trust me. I live for a while bit longer than you do. I know some things after all these years that I lived. It will take you a while before you surpass me in a life experience. But before that happens, try to listen to me. I heard that as a Padawan you were willing to learn from any source available. I'm your best source right now, and man learns life. At least try to see my point" he said, walking forward faster, leaving Revan alone with his thoughts.

His mind was in a mess now. He didn't want to admit it, but deep in his heart, he knew that Jolee was right. He knew that what he did wasn't right, but it felt so… good. It terrified him that this realization didn't cause him to feel bad or anything. He realized that indeed he felt satisfaction while slaughtering the Sand People. He felt more complete when he was cutting down the warriors, women, and children. He, just as Jolee, could bet that his eyes turned into a hateful shade of gold at that very moment. He gulped heavily, trying to comprehend it. He wasn't afraid of the Dark Side. After all, he knew that he had to use it if he wanted to defeat the Sith from the Unknown Regions. What he was afraid of was that he could become one of them, if not even worse. He gulped once again and started to go faster. The Star Map won't find itself on its own, after all.

* * *

 **Woah, I think that this was my biggest change in the KotOR plot line so far. Let me know what you think about this chapter (especially about the conversation between Jolee and Revan) and the story that is coming to an end. I think I will close it in 50 chapters. I encourage you to leave a review, especially those who never leave a comment. I would really appreciate your opinions, but not only from 3 or 4 persons but from all of you XD. Feel free to tell me what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong. I'm sure there's plenty of these XD. See you soon, guys, I hope that the next chapter will appear faster because I want to finish 'Price of the Sacrifice' before 2018. But we'll see how it turns out. See you in the next chapter ;). In the next chapter: Revan and his companions face Calo Nord and get the third Star Map. Possibly our favorite Dark Lord of the Sith will face Helena Shan in the one-on-one conversation. Sleep well, guys ;).**


	34. Chapter 33

**Yay, I'm back! I hope you missed me XD. And if you didn't then… I'm sorry, but I must disappoint you XD. Huge thanks to you guys, because 'Price of the Sacrifice has finally crossed a magic number of 100 favorites! I can't say just how grateful I am for that. It really means a lot to me, and I'm happy that you enjoy my story and my writing. Now we slowly begin to approach the end (I'm planning to finish it with a 50** **th** **chapter, or so), so make sure to follow me as an author because, I guess that around New Year, I will post a sequel. Of course, I will finish it first, and I'm planning to finish it this year. I hope I will be able to do it, and you can help me by leaving a review ;). This will make me want to write other chapters even faster. Also, make sure to check out my one-shot which I posted just recently. It's titled 'Broken Heart', and I hope that you will enjoy that as well. So, with this said, allow me to present you chapter 34** **th** **of the story about our favorite Sith Lord/Jedi/Mandalore.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 33

"Oh… fuck" Canderous accursed under his breath, looking for a better word, but he found none. Actually, this one described very well how they all felt at that very moment. Nothing more was needed to be said here. Indeed, they were fucked.

"It wasn't here before" Rex commented in the same, slightly terrified tone. The four of them was laying on the dune, looking directly ahead. They reached their destination rather quickly. But now they found themselves in front of the Krayt Dragon's Lair.

"No, it wasn't" Revan confirmed, not looking at them. His eyes, as well as his mind, were focused on the huge monster that was resting in its lair. He rubbed his hand against his forehead, wiping away the droplets of sweat that were gathered there. The sand was stuck on the skin of his face, irritating him.

"Any brilliant ideas on how to get past that thing?" Jolee asked with his usual playful tone and a small smile dancing on his lips. Apparently, nothing could discompose the old man.

"The only idea that I'm trying to think of is how to avoid getting eaten by this thing" Revan replied, still keeping his gaze focused on the Krayt Dragon in front of them. It was a beast that could be even forty five meters long and could weigh up to twenty tones. Never before in his young life has Revan encountered something so big. A Rancor itself was already some sort of a bigger challenge, and it was at least ten times smaller than the Krayt Dragon.

"If you're thinking, then I would advise you to hurry up," Jolee said after a moment. "We're not alone here" he added, looking backward. Revan followed his gaze and noticed a rather large group of Dark Jedi with a bounty hunter in the lead.

* * *

Bastila walked out from the medical room after being examined carefully. Fortunately, nothing serious happened to her. The only things that raised suspicious glances from Fox were the blurred marks of Revan's teeth where he bit her skin during their passionate moments they shared together. The amused look on soldier's face caused Bastila to turn a deep shade of red. She tried to calm down by telling herself that it could always be worse. If it was Juhani who took care of her, there would be no end to questions. And questions would raise suspicions, and suspicions could lead to conclusions.

She knew that she should feel nervous about being examined by a soldier, but, thankfully, Fox didn't do anything to her. She didn't know whether it was a respect towards her or his loyalty towards Revan that stopped the soldier from taking an advantage of her. _The latter one, if not both,_ she stated. It truly amazed her. This loyalty the three soldiers were displaying. Even if Fox explained it to her back on Kashyyyk, it still amazed her. They followed Revan anywhere. They followed him when he fought back the Mandalorians, they followed him later when he began his own war against the Republic, and now they were following him as he was cutting his way through the very Empire he built.

She realized that she still didn't ask Revan about this. She could see, at least a hint of a reason why he was doing that. Perhaps he was driven by a lust for revenge. After all, Malak was the one who made the capture possible. Bastila was sure that they wouldn't win that day, back on Revan's flagship. She wondered what would he do to her if they failed. Would he turn her to the Dark Side? Would he even be able to love her while still being in control of his Sith Empire? Would he use her as his toy? She had no idea, and she preferred not to think about the possible scenarios. What mattered was that he loved her, and she loved him. All the rest could go to seven hells.

One thought didn't leave her mind, though, no matter how much she tried to get rid of that. A memory would be a better word. Dozens and dozens of corpses scattered across the enclave of Sand People. She shivered at the image that reappeared in her mind. What intensified her worries was Revan's reaction to his own deeds. No remorse, no second thoughts. Just a cold statement that he did what was necessary.

It terrified her to the very bone. She realized what that meant. Revan, at least partially, was still a servant of the Dark Side, even if he denied it. Did that mean that Revan was only playing a game with her? Was he only pretending to be the same man she knew before the Mandalorian Wars? Her eyes filled with the unshed tears as she realized that the man she once knew was long dead. He died when he set out to fight back the Mandalorians. The one who returned had secrets. He had a darker past he'd rather not speak of. She returned to her chambers, trying to get some proper sleep. It was a middle of the day on Tatooine, but after a night in the enclave of Sand People, her body craved for a good sleep in a real bed. She closed her eyes, drifting off almost immediately.

* * *

 _Bastila was in a vision. She wasn't part of it, as she was before, no. This time she was a mere spectator. She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. She quickly spotted Revan. But she immediately backed away when she saw him._

 _Revan, HER Revan was standing on top of a pile of dead bodies. What was worse, she could identify most of the corpses. She saw all the crew members of the Ebon Hawk, including herself, Masters of the Jedi Order, contorted in unnatural ways, the Republic Officers, and many others. Malak was there as well. His headless corpse was laying at the very bottom of the pile, while Revan was clutching the head of his former best friend. Bastila forced herself to walk forward._

 _When she was standing face to face with Revan, she took few steps backward. The person in front of her looked just like the Jedi Masters told her he would look like. Revan was clad in the same armor that he wore when she faced him on the bridge of his flagship. His skin was pale. Deadly pale. There were dark bags under his eyes. His eyes. They weren't shining with the deepest shade of green she could think of. Now they were sickly gold, filled with hatred and bloodlust. His lips were curled up in a vicious smile, as he was gazing into Malak's unseeing eyes._

 _Suddenly, those eyes filled with hatred rested on her. Bastila glanced behind her, in order to see what he was looking at. Her own eyes widened with fear when she realized that he was looking on her. She turned around, and now Revan was standing right in front of her. She tried to retreat, but he swiftly grabbed her arm, causing her to scream in pain._

* * *

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" they heard the bounty hunter speaking, as the Sith approached them. They were now standing on their feet. The only thing that separated them from the Krayt Dragon was a dune. "I almost caught you back on Kashyyyk, but, somehow, you managed to escape. Now there is no escape for you, and Sith won't be getting in my way this time, as they did back on Taris" he said with a sneer.

"Oh, you can try" Revan replied, igniting both of his lightsabers. Jolee mimicked his actions, turning on his own weapon. Canderous and Rex positioned themselves in a defensive pose. A dozen or so Dark Jedi also ignited their own crimson red lightsabers, preparing for the fight.

First shots came from the two soldiers standing behind Revan. Most of them were not precise or were deflected by the Dark Jedi. Revan was actually surprised after noticing that one of their enemies was killed so easily. After all, the distance between them was still rather big.

"Push them back!" Calo ordered, raising up his own twin blasters, and firing a salve at them. Revan and Jolee deflected them all with no effort, sending them back at the bounty hunter, or at the nearby dunes, causing the sand to fly around them. The group of four men was forced to go backward, as the Dark Jedi were coming closer and closer. They were trying to climb the dune behind, what was rather difficult due to the sand that was escaping from beneath their feet, and that they had to keep their focus on not getting accidentally killed. It would be a lame way to die, after all.

The first of the Dark Jedi got close enough to them, climbing the dune right behind them. He made a serious mistake by using his hands for support on the treacherous sands of the Dune Sea. His mistake cost him his life, as Revan decapitated him with one swift strike, sending his head back where he came from, his whole body following it close behind.

Revan spared a quick glance behind him, only to see that the dune has already begun to descent. Now the only thing behind them was a cave where the Star Map was located in. As well as the Krayt Dragon.

"Watch your steps!" he warned them. Just as he said that his foot didn't meet anything beneath, as he tried to take yet another step upwards. This caused him to lose balance for a moment, but this moment could as well be the last moment in his life.

One of the Dark Jedi, who were already in the middle of the dune, used Revan's momentary lack of balance and sent a Force Push at the former Dark Lord. The sudden strike sent him flying backward, getting even closer to the Krayt Dragon's Lair. He rolled down the sand, landing directly at the entrance to the cave. Revan murmured few curses in Mando'a, directing them at his own foolishness. He spat some of the sand that has gotten into his mouth. As he raised to his feet, his three companions have already made their way down, now directing their own strikes and shots as their enemies were focusing on keeping balance on the dune.

A dozen or so Dark Jedi who came with Call Nord were now reduced to the number of five. As soon as they left the dune, they returned to the offensive. The bounty hunter was right behind them, firing at the group of four.

Revan kept his senses in the fight for a long time now, what was easier now due to the fact that they left the dune. But something else caught his senses. It wasn't a warning from the Force, no. He saw it with his very own eyes.

The Krayt Dragon has awakened.

It thrilled him to the very bones, causing him to momentary freeze right where he stood.

"Run," he said to his three companions. They looked at him, as much as they could, not believing their ears. Canderous was ready to reply with something like 'the Mandalorian never runs', but then all sounds were overwhelmed by a powerful roar of the creature behind their backs. This sound alone was more than enough to convince Canderous and the rest to change their position at least.

Revan decided to use the situation they were currently in. Canderous, Rex, and Jolee have already backed away, returning in the direction of the dune. Their enemies also backed away slightly after noticing the Krayt Dragon. Revan used their momentary distraction, leaping over them, and cutting their way of escape. Now it was Calo Nord and the Dark Jedi who were trapped between Revan and the Krayt Dragon.

As Revan was engaged in a duel against two pathetic excuses for the Sith, sparkles began to ignite on the tips of his fingers. _The lightsaber is an extension of your arm,_ he recited in his mind, channeling the Force through the weapons he was holding. His two opponents were crisped to death in no time. Calo was now alone.

"You may have me outnumbered and outgunned, but if I'm going down, I'm taking all you with me!" he yelled, holding his right hand high above his head. A small, black thing was in his fist. "This thermal detonator will blow us all to bits!" he added with a maniacal smile, as he saw them retreating. What he didn't see though, was the Krayt Dragon making its way towards him.

Calo's screams of pain filled the air of Tatooine, as the large beast took him whole in its large mouth, shaking him in every direction. Revan and the rest watched in awe as, after no longer than few seconds, Krayt Dragon's head was consumed with fire, after a large explosion that was muffled inside of its huge mouth. The creature stood for few more seconds and then collapsed on the heated sand of Tatooine desert. From between its teeth, the crisped Calo Nord's corpse was protruding.

Revan sighed with relief and clipped his lightsabers back to his belt. They had now the clear access to the Star Map. He and his companions entered the cave, finding what they were looking for.

* * *

Bastila rolled up the sleeve of her robe once again to check her right forearm. She had no idea just how often she was doing it, but ever since she woke up from her vision, she did it at least thrice per hour. And each time she was relieved to notice that nothing was there.

Her strange dream terrified her. She sensed darkness in Revan all the time, but it was the darkness that was in everyone, so, until recently, she paid it no mind. Yet the dream, his deeds in the enclave, and his argument with Juhani made her examine him more accurately. It wasn't difficult due to the Force Bond they shared.

Indeed, after closer examination, the darkness present in Revan was much wilder than in anyone else. Wilder and, at the same time, much more under control. She had no idea how he achieved that, but that's how the things were. It wasn't consuming him, no. Actually, it seemed to be inverse. She was able to even see what was happening with Revan in that very moment, and his actions confirmed that. Truly, he was using the Dark Side that was within him, without succumbing to it.

This both surprised, and terrified Bastila. Through whole her life she was taught that the Dark Side cannot be controlled, and here he was, using it without being consumed, or corrupted. But her dream still kept repeating in her head, making her shiver. The worst was that she couldn't talk about it with anyone, at least not now. She would have to wait for Revan's return.

* * *

Revan almost ran out from that cave after transferring the Star Map's records to his datapad and finding the Holocron that belonged to Bastila's father. His lungs were screaming for the fresh air that would not be filled with the odor of rotting corpses. Tatooine's hot air was nothing compared to the air inside of the Krayt Dragon's Lair.

They passed the dead body of the said creature, heading back towards the Anchorhead. Revan quickly found himself engaged in a heated conversation with Canderous.

"I don't believe you have told me from which Clan you actually are" Canderous began in his usual tone. "Care to tell me now? It really intrigues me."

"I was born in the Raven Clan" Revan replied simply, not sparing the Mandalorian a second glance.

"Raven Clan?" Canderous repeated surprised. "Mandalore's personal honor guard, if I'm not mistaken?"

"You're not" was the simple response.

"What were the names of your parents, if I may ask?"

"Arused and Danre" Revan replied with a saddened tone. Canderous whistled at that. This made Revan stare at the old warrior with a questioning look and a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry," he said quickly after noticing the look Revan was giving him. "It's just… of all people I haven't expected them to be your parents. Don't understand me wrong" he added swiftly when he saw an even more puzzled look on Revan's face. "What I mean is that I knew Arused and Danre for quite a time. They were great warriors, I can assure you of that. I was enraged when I found out that they were killed, but, at least, they died an honorable death, if that cheers you up somehow."

"I know how they died" he countered, straightening himself up. "I saw it."

"You did?" Canderous asked surprised.

"Yes. Even though I was five years old back then, I remember it, as if it happened yesterday. I will never forget that day."

"Five? So your parents haven't even managed to give you a name?"

"No. I've given one myself. The one I'm carrying until today."

"So, why did you even got involved in the war against us? I mean, you knew that you're a Mandalorian, and yet, you went to fight your own kind. Not that I'm complaining, because we were waiting for someone like you, but… oh, you know what I mean." Revan nodded in response.

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure what my reasons were that day when I joined the Republic forces. I guess that my Jedi part took best of me, making me sensitive to the suffering of the innocents. Or perhaps I wanted to get to know the culture of my parents even more, and what's the better way than to meet them on the battlefield?"

"And do you have any brilliant conclusions?"

"Ay, I have one."

"And what is that?"

"Mandalorians weren't raping as often as the Republic soldiers." He earned an amused look from Canderous. "What? I hate this 'act' and those who commit it. I punished everyone who did it, and soon, at least amongst my men, there were no more rapes. I continued to do so even as the Dark Lord. I had many captives who were tortured by me or some of my men. But if anyone of them as much as tried to rape my prisoner, they were tortured even worse than those we captured."

"And, if I may ask, what the tortures were?"

"The Force can do things that are considered to be… unnatural. Keeping one alive, even if, from a medical point of view, he should be long dead. I used that. First I was using the Force Lightning, strong enough to give pain, but not too strong, so I actually don't crisp someone accidentally." Canderous chuckled at that. "Then I was dismembering the one I was torturing. Slowly, so he could feel every leg, and every arm being taken away from him. In the end, I was tearing away his head. Then, as a warning, his members were displayed for a public view to remind everyone what happens, if they try to rape someone. Trust me, it worked very efficiently."

"And why did rape bother you so much?"

"Because it left scars too deep to heal. Not physical ones, but mental ones. I saw it many, many times. Very few were able to get over it, and I needed those who followed me to be strong, especially mentally. Physical wounds can heal, but not mental ones. And if they served me only because of fear, they would turn against me when they only had a chance. And most of my men served me because they were loyal to me, like those three who travel with us."

"And yet you were betrayed" Canderous stated.

"And yet I was betrayed" Revan replied. "But I knew that, sooner or later, Malak would betray me. It was inevitable. Trust me, if he didn't do it like a coward, backstabbing me, he wouldn't survive his betrayal. I'm superior in every way. I'm more skilled in combat, I know more aspects of the Force, I can control my rage much better. It's just… a fair duel wasn't given to us, but I'm sure that it will happen."

"I don't doubt that." Was a single response, as they entered Anchorhead.

* * *

Bastila was pacing back and forth in front of the loading ramp. Just a few minutes ago they received a word from Revan that they were coming back with the data from the Star Map. And now she was anxiously waiting for his return.

Bastila made sure to block her dream from Revan. She didn't want him to know it before she confronted him about it. If he knew, he could have prepared himself, and she wanted an honest reaction from him, and not prepared one.

Finally after what seemed like hours, and in fact was mere minutes, the loading ramp opened, and four men entered. Revan greeted her with a smile. She replied likewise, but she found it difficult to smile to him. The dream still fresh and burning in her memory.

They went separate ways. Canderous and Rex headed towards the garage where they spent most of the time, while Jolee headed towards the small room he was occupying. Revan walked over to her, handing her a small datapad.

"What is that?" she asked curiously.

"Your father's Holocron. I figured you might want to see it before we give it to your mother" he replied, still having the same smile on his face. This smile made her wonder how someone like him could be a Sith. This made absolutely no sense.

"Thanks" she murmured, looking down at the device. "Can we talk?" she blurted out without thinking, as she saw him leaving. Her sudden question startled Revan.

"Of course we can. But let me use the refresher first. My clothes are sticking to me." Bastila nodded in response. Revan then disappeared behind the corner.

Bastila headed towards the quarters she shared with Revan. She had no idea how no one seemed to notice that fact. Perhaps they knew, and they just decided to ignore that? No, that wouldn't be a case. Juhani would most certainly say something about that. Just as she confronted Revan earlier that day.

The young Jedi sat on the bed, turning on the Holocron. It didn't contain his voice records, nor his holoprojection. It only had his personal entries. Just as she remembered him, his jottings were a mess, just as almost everything he did, in opposite to her mother. Bastila smiled lightly at that. At least he didn't change much.

There was nothing special inside. It resembled more a diary. In the irregular entries, he described the past years of their life. Her father wrote about the planets they visited, how they escaped Mandalorians in the Mandalorian Wars, and later the Sith. Every now and then her name appeared, usually followed by his wonders on how his only daughter looks like, if she's still alive, or that he missed her. _I miss you too,_ she said in her mind, allowing a single tear to roll down her cheek. She reached more recent entries that described her mother's sickness, his worries for her, and that he would do anything to save her. He would do anything he could to earn money for her for healing. Unfortunately, he didn't succeed in getting those Credits. She was so absorbed with the Holocron that she didn't notice Revan who already returned from the refresher, clad only in a towel.

She almost jumped off her skin when she felt a delicate kiss on her cheek that removed yet another tear that was going down her face. But as soon as she realized who it was, she relaxed, enjoying the pleasant sensation. She closed her eyes, for few dear moments completely forgetting her dream.

"You wanted to talk" he whispered slightly into her ear. She was brought back to the ground with the strength of a dying star. Revan really had a perfect timing.

"What will you do when we arrive at the Star Forge?" she asked without approaching the topic gently as she intended. The question caused Revan to back away slightly. His eyes were wide with surprise.

"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously, trying to probe her mind through their Force Bond. Bastila immediately cut him off.

"What you heard. What will you do when we arrive at the Star Forge? Are you going to destroy it?" The only response she got was silence as Revan was staring at her with wide eyes. Revan's dead silence was all the response she needed. "You won't do it, will you? You will want to reclaim it, and become the Sith again" she murmured on the edge of tears.

"I won't destroy it" he replied quietly, earning a shocked gasp from Bastila and tears that were falling down uncontrollably now. He tried to hug her, but she immediately leaned away from his touch, surprising him.

"I don't want you to become Darth Revan again" she murmured, her voice being disrupted by sobs. "I want you to be with me when this war is finally over, Rev. I want us to hide on some distant planet, far from the Jedi and the Republic. I want a normal life for us"

"Whatever I'll do" he replied, finding his voice back again. "I'll do it to protect you. To guarantee you a save life. This is why I won't destroy the Star Forge. Because I will be needing it." Bastila shook her head violently, dropping her mental barriers. She summoned back her dream, sharing it with Revan. She knew he was in her mind right now. She felt him there.

Bastila slowly opened her eyes, wanting to see Revan's reaction. The shock was written all over his face. Shock and disbelief as he was watching with his mind's eye Bastila's vision. She bit her bottom lip, trying to suppress yet another sob.

"I don't want you to become this again," she said with much calmer tone now, but tears were still threatening to stream down her face. Revan lifted up his eyes, looking at her. Cautiously, he brought his hand to her cheek. When he saw she offered no resistance, he placed it on her face, wiping away the remnants of tears. He slowly leaned towards her, brushing his lips against hers in the most delicate kiss Bastila ever experienced.

"I won't become this" he whispered into her lips. "I promise it to you. But I need the Star Forge. I must reclaim it. For the sake of the Galaxy."

"Why?" she blurted out. This time it was Revan who dropped his mental barriers, allowing her to enter his mind, what she did immediately. He showed her what he saw deep in the Unknown Regions. He watched her eyes widening with shock and disbelief, just as his own mere seconds before.

"This is why I do what I do" he whispered to her. "This is why I turned to the Dark Side. One can't fight it without knowing it. This is why I attacked the Republic. I needed it to stand down, for it is too weak to face it. I needed the Republic to step aside and let me wage the war against the true Sith."

"Don't do it" she pleaded. "You don't have to do it. We can hide on some distant planet. We can avoid it, pretend as if only we live in the Galaxy. Please, Rev" she murmured. Revan reluctantly shook his head.

"I can't. Only I know about it. I and Master Vandar, but he won't be able to convince the Jedi Order that this is true. If the Emperor's plan was simply to conquer the Galaxy, then perhaps we would be able to go into hiding. But he plans to feed on it. If he succeeds, there will be no Galaxy to live in. Which is why I must stop him."

"Then I'm going with you. My battle meditation will…" She was stopped by Revan shaking his head again.

"I can't take you. Where I will go, I can't take anyone I love."

"You'll abandon me?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'll protect you" he replied, looking her in the eye. "I'll do anything to make sure you're safe."

"I don't want to be protected" she countered quickly. "I don't NEED to be protected. I'm not a helpless child anymore. I love you, and I want to help you. I want to be with you."

"I love you too" he replied, giving her a brief kiss on the lips which she gladly returned. "But I can't take you. I will be beside you for as long as our quest goes on. But I will have to go. And you will have to stay." Her eyes were filled with tears again.

"Then let's make a good use of the time given to us," she said, attacking his lips.

* * *

 **So the chapter is finished. As always, I'm asking for reviews and your thoughts. See you in the next update.**


	35. Chapter 34

**Hey, hey, hey! Welcome again! I followed the advice of one of the anonymous readers and downloaded Grammarly. What can I say? I apologize you all on my knees. I'm sorry that you had to endure all these mistakes. When I was checking previous chapters with Grammarly, I couldn't believe just how many mistakes there were. I corrected the critical mistakes but there still remain those more advanced. Unfortunately, I won't be able to correct them because I don't have money to pay for Grammarly Premium, but I promise you that before updating, I will check the chapter so a number of mistakes will lessen, or I hope so at least XD. And at this point, I want to thank this anonymous reader for his comments because they were like a bucket of a cold water that I certainly needed even if I don't like criticism XD. Thank you once again, I'll use these comments to improve my writing or at least I'll try to do so. Oh, and thank you all for 30000 views ;).**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 34

Bastila found herself in something that could only be described as a pure bliss. Even if she didn't like the idea of Revan leaving her, she couldn't help but enjoy the sensations she experienced while being intimate with him. All her inner struggles passed into oblivion when she was in his arms, beneath him. Now she was watching him with a hazed look, smiling lightly, as he was walking around the room, picking up two glasses and a bottle of finest wine that he found somewhere on Taris, while still being completely naked. Her gaze drifted downwards onto his muscled back.

It would be fair to say that his back was one big scar with few spots where a healthy skin was. Many of the smaller and bigger wounds covered his entire body, and she dared not to guess where he got them. Though she couldn't suppress a grin when she realized that some of the smaller cuts were actually her deeds. Small trails of blood were sipping from the cuts where Bastila's fingernails made contact with his skin.

She bit her lower lip worriedly as she noticed Revan's still fresh wound on his right shoulder. It certainly wasn't a healthy wound, considering how dark the skin around it was. He told her what happened to him back on Taris, and it terrified her, even if he assured her that he found the cure. The wound was festering itself.

"So, Bas," he said cautiously, handing her the glass filled with a red liquid. She gladly accepted it and took a sip. "What exactly happened to my armor?" Bastila almost spilled out the wine she had in her mouth, earning an amused smirk from Revan. "What? Wrong question?"

"No, it's just… I guess I didn't expect you to ask me about that" she replied after swallowing the wine without chocking.

"So? Will you answer my question?"

"I doubt you'll like that."

"Go on" he urged her. "It's not like the bad news haven't been dropped to me before."

"We destroyed it" she blurted out.

"YOU WHAT?!" he yelled, standing up rapidly, spilling the wine from his glass onto himself.

"We had no other choice" she hurried with explanation, trying to calm him down. "Your entire armor was emanating with the Dark Side more than from any of your minions." He groaned.

"I really liked that armored" Revan complained, sounding more like a small child who had his favorite toy taken away from him. "Tell me that you at least spared my mask," he said with a pleading tone.

"Well, actually, we did" Bastila replied, earning a surprised look from Revan. Clearly, he didn't expect to hear such an answer. "In fact, I kept it to myself."

"What? When did you do that? And why would you do that in the first place?" Bastila shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess that I just wanted to have something of yours. I deserved that, after all. And besides, it wasn't emanating with the Dark Side like the rest of your armor."

"And where is my mask now?"

"I had it with me all the time."

"All the time?" he asked in disbelief. "Like, since we set out from Dantooine?" He earned an affirmative nod from Bastila. "And you haven't told me?"

"And what would you do? Would you put it on? You may have as well stand in front of the Jedi Council and say 'hi, I'm Revan'." She shook her head, looking at him. "Who knows what you would do while being in the possession of that fancy mask of yours." Revan snorted at that.

"Fine, I see your point. But would you please give this mask back to me? It's very important to me."

"Perhaps… if you prove yourself nice" she teased him, having a playful smirk plastered onto her face. He raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing his ears.

"Nice? And how am I to prove myself nice?" he asked with a tone that sounded dangerously close to annoyed.

"Well," she began, straddling his lap. In the process, the sheets that covered her still naked body fell to the floor. "You can begin with" She kissed the spot on his skin where the wine was poured. "Reducing your well-known bloodlust" Bastila finished in a whisper into his ear. She leaned back to see his face with an amused expression. "Would you do that for me?" she asked with hope hearable in her voice. Revan chuckled at that.

"Bas, Bas, Bas, you're asking me to do the impossible" he replied, looking her in the eye. When he saw she was going to say something, he hurried with explanation. "What I mean is that the next Star Map is located on Manaan and the last one on Korriban. Gaining access to both of them will require from us the usage of violence. On Manaan we can go underwater or break into the Sith Base, and I'd rather do the latter one. And on Korriban… well, how to say it? This planet is the homeworld of the Sith. It's impossible to avoid violence there."

"And why can't we go underwater?" she queried. "Won't it be faster? I mean, we won't have to cut our way through tens of hundreds of enemies, will we?"

"When I gained access to the Star Map on Manaan for the first time, I, and few of my men went under water. From a group of dozen or so, only five, including me, survived. Descending to the bottom of the ocean is a suicide, Bastila" he reasoned to her, earning an annoyed sigh from the young Jedi on his lap.

"So that's it then? You won't do it for me?" she tried to use her last argument, deciding to play on his feeling towards her.

"I won't" he replied honestly, causing Bastila to almost jump out from his lap, but he held her firmly. "But I can promise you something different. Something that, at least I hope so, you'll enjoy much, much more." That intrigued her.

"And what would it be?" she asked curiously.

"I know a particular place in the Ahto City on Manaan. It's rather quiet, and the views from there are stunning. After we get the Star Map records, we could go there to enjoy few hours just on our own. As I recall, there is also a small, but nice, restaurant." Bastila leaned a little bit backward, in order to look on his entire face, trying to find any signs of lies, but she found none. An amused smirk appeared on her lips that slowly turned into laughter.

"What is so funny?" Revan asked, clearly not understanding her reaction. Bastila tried to calm herself down as she began to answer him.

"Nothing, it's just…" she began, but yet another series of laugh interrupted her. "Of all things, I wasn't expecting to be asked out on a date by Darth Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith himself." He smiled in response, embracing her tighter.

"I'm not asking you out as Darth Revan, or the Dark Lord of the Sith, or the Jedi Knight, but as Revan. Just Revan. We have never actually been on a proper date." Bastila chuckled slightly at that, her abdomen erupting with thousands of butterflies. She wondered how was it possible for him to make her feel that way with just his words. She gave him a small kiss on the lips.

"Alright, Mr. Just Revan. I'll go with you on that day if you insist" she replied, giving him yet another kiss on the lips, which he eagerly responded to.

In no time, Bastila found herself pressed against the mattress of the bed with Revan laying on top of her. She had no idea just how exactly he had managed to flip her over so easily. She didn't feel him moving, or even using the Force. It was as if he teleported them. She heard about that power, but she seriously doubted that he wielded it.

She decided to abandon all of her thoughts concerning her change of position, and instead focused on experiencing pleasure from her beloved one. Through the past few days and nights, their relationship escalated to the unimaginable point. Many times Bastila found herself wondering why love was forbidden by the Jedi Code, and never has she found an answer to that. She didn't feel any temptation from the Dark Side so far. Of course, it still lingered there, waiting for her to use it, but it wasn't calling to her as much as it used to before she found out that Revan had all his memories back.

Bastila took a handful of Revan's hair that was now once again of a shoulder length. He was attacking her lips hungrily, as he usually did. She really enjoyed the physical aspect of their relationship, that was being additionally enhanced by the Force that her lover directed into those parts of her body he touched. She responded to his kisses with the same ferocity that he was showing.

He parted away from her lips, instead focusing fully on her neck, kissing, licking, and biting it all along. She used this possibility to breathe in some oxygen her lungs were craving for. She closed her eyes, allowing a small moan to escape her mouth, as Revan bit her neck in just the right spot, sending shivers down her spine. She could feel him enjoying himself as well. One of his hands was occupied with her breast, playing with it, while he used the second one to keep balance. Bastila found it amusing just how long Revan could play with her breasts, and not get tired of them. She could also feel that the man above her was more than ready for yet another round of lovemaking; the evident sign of it was pressing into her inner thigh.

Yet another moan escaped her lips, and she brought both her hands onto his arms. She was sliding them upwards, wanting to rest them on his back. She wanted to feel his numerous scars, trace her fingers alongside them, as if to reveal the events that were behind every single one of them. Countless battles that were hidden in each of these, now healed, wounds.

Revan let out a scream of pain that was muffled by the skin of her neck. Bastila felt him bite her, though he tried to make it as delicately as he could. His scream was immediately followed with a fall, as his right arm gave up under his weight. He pinned her to the bed, even if only for a brief moment, as he quickly rolled to the side, his face still contorted in pain.

All Bastila could do was watch in horror as Revan slowly was regaining his composure. It took him at least three minutes before the muscles on his face started to relax. His teeth were gritted till now, and she started to worry if they would start to break actually.

"What has happened?" she asked after, finally, she shook off from her initial shock. Revan breathed in few broken breaths before replying.

"My shoulder" he coughed up through slightly clenched teeth. "My right shoulder."

Just as his words escaped his mouth, Bastila turned her gaze to the place where his right arm connected with the rest of his body. Just as it was previously, the skin around the wound was black, but now the pus and blood were getting from it, followed by an unpleasant smell of a rotting flesh. Bastila instinctively put her fingers to her nose, trying to keep the odor away. What was even worse, the blackness that was surrounding the wound started to spread itself across his blood circulation system, painting veins black from the inside.

"It looked better just a few days ago" she commented, still in a shock.

"You scratched me with your fingernails" Revan replied, making her burn with a deep shade of red. He was beginning to breathe normally. "Sorry, but I don't think that the 'round two' is an option right now" he added, standing up from the bed. Bastila nodded in reply, watching him dress up. Her face was still burning bright red with embarrassment on Revan's words.

She watched him leave the room, probably heading towards the quarters that still were, officially at least, his. She also got up from the bed, and put some clothes on. It would be… difficult at best to explain why was she naked if someone walked in on her like that. After second thought, changing the bed sheets was also a good idea.

In no time the room was deprived of any sign of their recent lovemaking. She was incredibly grateful for the possibility of blocking the sounds from spreading through the entire ship. She was sure that if it wasn't for the Force, every member of their small crew would hear them.

When she was done cleaning her quarters, she walked off to the corridor, repairing her hair at least partially. She stopped bothering herself with doing her hair, deciding to let it go free. It was much more comfortable and much more practical. With the last move of her hand, she evened the crumpled material of her regular clothing.

* * *

"Calo Nord is dead, Lord Malak" Saul reported, kneeling in front of the Sith Lord. "He has failed in his mission. Forgive me" he whispered the last part almost in fear of saying it out loud.

"The penalty for failure is death, Admiral Karath" Malak replied without any hint of anger in his voice. He expected to hear it actually. "But the failure was Calo's, not yours. You may rise." Saul stood up immediately, knowing that it was more an order than an offer.

"Shall I hire another bounty hunter, Lord Malak?" he asked, straightening his posture and entwining his hands behind his back.

"No mere bounty hunter can stand against a Jedi. I shall not make the same mistake again. My apprentice, Darth Bandon, shall take care of our young Jedi friend."

As he was speaking, the door to the bridge was opened and a bold man stepped in. He was deadly pale and was wearing a black armor with some red patterns on the chest. In a pure display of his powers, he pushed one of the soldiers into the terminal, making it explode, killing the poor man instantly.

"Find Bastila and bring her to me. Alive if possible" Malak said, addressing his apprentice when he walked closer to the Sith Lord."

"As you command, Master" he replied, bowing deeply. He then turned around and left the bridge.

"Has our guest started talking yet?"

"Unfortunately, no, Lord Malak" Saul replied. "This man shows some incredible resisting skills when it comes to interrogations. Vaklu wasn't able to get anything from him. He said that he has no idea how anyone can endure the interrogation process without breaking eventually. For two weeks he got nothing from him. I don't think we will be able to make any progress with him."

"Impressive" Malak simply commented. Saul wriggled slightly, not knowing how to react to Malak's comment.

"What orders will you give, Lord Malak? Should he be executed?"

"Patience, Admiral. No one is invincible. Give Vaklu some time. That man will soon fall, just as all who are being interrogated."

"Of course, Lord Malak" he replied, saluting. Malak then left the bridge.

* * *

"Did anyone try to use the ship's communicator?" Revan asked, startling Wolfie. They were alone in the cockpit.

"Actually, yes" the pilot replied after calming himself down. He was in a middle of scanning the ship's overall status.

"Who?"

"Juhani. She tried to contact Coruscant and later Dantooine" he said, turning around to look at Revan. He rubbed his closed eyes with two fingers, sighing heavily.

"Just as I feared" he murmured to himself, earning a surprised look from Wolfie. "Are the communicators still blocked?"

"Yes."

"They must remain that way. Also, keep an eye on Juhani. If what Master Vandar told me is true, she is, or rather was, spying on us."

"I thought we're not working with the Jedi" Wolfie commented, eyeing Revan carefully with his right eye.

"Master Vandar is an exception. I trust him and that should be enough for you."

"Of course. And should I take any precaution with our little rat?"

"What do you mean?" Wolfie shrugged.

"I don't know. Deprive her of a limb or two. I bet that HK would be most eager to have some fun."

Revan shook his head. "She didn't succeed in her attempt so there's no need to do it. I don't want to raise any suspicions on why Juhani suddenly became a cripple. Just… keep an eye on her."

"And can't you just look into her mind? It would spare us some troubles" Wolfie suggested.

"She's a Jedi and a damn strong one, actually. She's been taught on how to set the mental walls in her mind."

"You could always break her," Wolfie said. Revan shook his head in disagreement again.

"We don't have the entire week" he replied. "Now, what's the ship's status?" he asked, changing the topic. Wolfie sensed immediately that he didn't intend to continue their previous talk.

"Our sensors are almost repaired" Wolfie reported, turning back to the screen. "Unfortunately, that's the only good news. Our hyperspace drive is damaged. Not seriously, but using the light speed right now would be stupid, to say the least. There is a possibility for us to make it to another planet but I'd rather not risk so much. It's more likely that our ship will explode while still in hyperspace."

"How long will the repairs take?"

"I don't know. Few hours, no more. T3 has already begun. The damage isn't a serious one but repairing it will be time-consuming. Tomorrow we should be done with it."

"Is there something else?"

"Not much. This one was the most serious one. The rest is not that critical, but we should be off that planet as soon as possible. If another sandstorm comes, we may not have so much luck. Oh, and one more thing. Someone from the outside tried to contact us."

"From the outside?"

Wolfie nodded. "The signal was coming from Dxun. I didn't reply to the call but whoever contacted us left a message."

"Bendak" Revan whispered with a small trail of smile on his face. "Do you have this message?" Wolfie nodded again. "Play it."

The pilot began to click few buttons on the main keyboard and after few seconds, a muffled sound came to them: _"For fuck's sake, I've been trying to locate you for dozen or so days now, and you're not replying? Eh, doesn't matter. May as well record you this message. I only hope that you will hear it one day. Canderous contacted me when you were still on Dantooine. He informed me of your ship's signature and I spent two past weeks on trying to locate your signal and finally, I succeeded. I wanted to contact you to report to you on my task's progress. I managed to gather some remnants of few clans. There isn't much of us here, and I'm still trying to find others. Many of those gathered here don't believe in what I told them. I think it was a clever decision to not mention your name. Instead, I said that Canderous decided to call the clans. I talked with Queen Talia, as you suggested. She was, to put it gently, pissed off at what I told her. She said something about how she's going to personally kill you for bringing Mandalorians to her home or something like that. Anyway, I hope that you will hear this message one day and you will come to Dxun. Most of all, I'm hoping that you will survive your current mission. I don't want it to turn out that I was gathering those clans for nothing. They would personally rip me limb from limb if that occurred. That's all I've got to say. Bendak out."_ With that, the message was over. Revan's smile grew wider.

"Very well." He commented. " If Bendak tries to contact us again, answer the call. As for now, prepare the ship for the immediate take-off as soon as the hyperspace drive is ready." Revan said, changing the topic immediately. Wolfie nodded in response. "Oh, and turn on the ship's speakers. Attention, guys" he said when the pilot handed him the small mike. "The Ebon Hawk needs some repairs. For the next few hours, I don't want to see anyone inside the ship. Go out and stretch your legs. The evening is approaching so it's not that hot anymore. We will take-off in the morning" he said to the mike, making everyone in the ship hear his words from the speakers. "Not you," he said when he sensed Wolfie standing up. "You will participate in repairs. If you're done before morning, you can leave." The man only groaned in response.

He then left the cockpit, determined to find Bastila. They had to deliver her father's Holocron to Helena Shan. Revan cringed a little at that. He certainly didn't want to meet that woman again, but it was inevitable, wasn't it? After all, he was dating her daughter.

He found her rather quickly. She was walking through the corridor, apparently, she has just left their quarters. He smiled gently and came up to her, bringing her with him towards the ship's exit.

"How's your shoulder?" she asked with a concern in her voice.

"Well, it's been better" he replied, instinctively looking at his right arm that was now bandaged.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't mind it. It will be as good as ever in no time." He smiled at her, trying to add some assurance to his words. He wasn't sure if she bought that, but she decided to leave it as it was. "Ready for the second meeting with your mother?" he asked as an awkward silence began to linger between them. Bastila shook her head.

"Not necessarily, but I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"It will be ok." Once again he tried to add some reassurance to his voice. He earned a heavy sigh as a reply.

"I seriously doubt that. Just… don't leave me alone there with her."

"I will be there with you for as long as my presence will be necessary" he promised her.

"Then let's go meet my mother again," she said as they were making their way through the crowded streets of the Anchorhead City.

* * *

"Back already? Have you even looked for the Holocron, yet?" Helena greeted them.

"I have the Holocron, mother. I'm just not sure if I want to give it to you" Bastila replied harshly; all her thoughts about repairing her relationship with her mother escaped her mind at the greeting they received.

"And why not?" Helena asked surprise. Revan couldn't tell why was she surprised. Was it because they had the Holocron, or that Bastila didn't want to give it to her. "Would you deny me even that?"

"I've never denied you anything, mother. You may think I don't remember what it was like before I left for the Order, but I do. You were the one who pushed father to go on one treasure hunt after the other. You loved living in wealth. You think I don't remember the fights? You were eager to send me to the Jedi, even though I didn't want to go. You took father away from me, and now this Holocron is all I have of him."

"Fool girl!" Helena hissed at her. "You have a strange way of remembering things. That wasn't…"

"No" Bastila interrupted her in midsentence. "I don't wish to argue with you anymore, mother. It's time we parted ways, now, for both our benefit."

"Maybe you should listen to what she has to say?" Revan suggested, this time paying more attention to the talk. Bastila gave him the look that should certainly kill him for not taking her side.

"You don't know her" she replied angrily. "My mother is notoriously deceptive when she wants something. Why should she have the Holocron?"

"Is it too difficult to believe that I am a dying woman who simply wishes to have something that belonged to her husband?"

"I find it difficult to believe anything you say, mother."

"Maybe one of you should be the first to give the other a break?" Revan butted into the talk again. This time Bastila didn't react so angrily.

"You're right" she whispered with a heavy sigh. "It shames me, but I just… I find it difficult to… let go of the past. I'm… sorry, mother" she whispered to Helena. The expression on the older woman's face softened visibly.

"I was hard on you, dear. I wasn't a very good mother to you, I know that" she said with guilt in her voice. "Your father loved you so. He wanted you to be just like him… he wanted to take you on his hunts, but I said they were too dangerous. I always tried to keep him from the dangerous ones, though, but he would have none of it. It was a reckless life we led, always moving… I didn't want that for you."

"So that's why you gave me to the Order?" Bastila asked softly.

"What do your father and I have to show for after all those years of hunting? Nothing. That was no life for anyone, especially not for someone as gifted as you. Your father… he spent all his last years trying to pay for my treatments. That's why he went for the pearls. I begged him not to, but…"

"Your treatments?" Bastila interrupted again.

"I'm dying, Bastila" Helena admitted shamefully. "I did not lie about that. It's been a long time in the coming, and there's really nothing that can be done anymore. I told your father to let me go, but you know how he was. Stubborn. Like you. "

"I'm so sorry, mother" Bastila said in the same shameful tone her mother used before. "I don't know what to say…"

"Keep the Holocron, Bastila" Helena blurted out quickly without thinking. "It would do me good to know you have it. This… talking to you… This is what I really needed before I…"

"I know, mother" Bastila interrupted. For the first time, her tone was gentle. "Thank you. I'm glad we talked, too."

"Well now. You said you had important business, and you were never one to mince words. You there" she addressed Revan, gaining his full attention. "You take care of my daughter, you hear me?"

"I'll do my best" he replied sincerely.

"That's good. I'll feel a lot better knowing there's someone to watch her" Helena said with a small smile on her lips.

"I'll leave you two alone for a while," Revan said, turning around. He made his way to others from the crew who were clearly enjoying themselves.

"Where are you going to go?" Bastila asked when they were left alone.

"It doesn't matter, dear. Don't you worry about me."

"Here," Bastila said, handing her a single Credit chip. "Take these five hundred Credits. It's all I have. Go to Coruscant and find a doctor. I'll meet you there after… After what I have to do."

"But I already told you there's nothing that can…"

"Please, take it" Bastila interrupted her again. "I… want to see you again. When we can talk."

"Alright," Helena replied with a small sigh. "I will."

"Farewell, mother" Bastila said, smiling at her warmly.

"Before you go," Helena said quickly before her daughter could wander off. "Does that man truly loves you?" The question made Bastila blush furiously.

"What… what do you mean, mother?" she asked, avoiding her gaze. "We're both Jedi, love is forbidden to us and…"

"Please, don't lie to me, Bastila" Helena interrupted her in midsentence. "I can see how he's looking at you, as well as how you're looking at him. Besides, don't think I haven't noticed that red mark on your neck" she added with a playful tone, causing Bastila to blush even further if that was possible. "Now, does he truly love you, or is he just using you?"

"He loves me" Bastila admitted shyly.

"That's no reason to be ashamed" Helena commented, seeing her daughter's reaction. "I can see he's a good man. Trust me, there's nothing better in life than having this one person who loves you utterly. Now you do what you said you have to, Bastila. You go make your father and me proud" Helena said, dismissing her daughter.

"I'll try" Bastila replied with a small laugh. "Farewell, mother."

* * *

 **Okay, that's it for today. Thank you for taking your time to read this chapter. As usual, I ask you for reviews, and once again I apologize for the huge amount of mistakes that occurred. See you guys in the next chapter ;).**


	36. Chapter 35

**Welcome back! Not much to say here, only this that I'll try to post regularly once a week now, or even more often.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 35

As Bastila was speaking with her mother, Revan decided to, at least try, to solve unspoken problems with one member of their crew. Carth Onasi.

During these rare moments when he probed his mind, all he found was sadness and sorrow. Back on Dantooine, he tried to talk to him about it some more, only to be turned down each time. Now, seeing Carth drinking yet another shot, he assumed he would have more luck this time. Which is why now he was making his way to the table Carth was sitting at. Alone.

The Republic pilot didn't notice him until he felt a tap on the shoulder. He lifted his head, directing his gaze away from the now empty glass. Revan saw in his eyes the same sorrow he saw in his mind. The same sorrow he sensed in his voice when he was talking with him on Taris, and later on their first day on Dantooine.

"What is it?" Carth asked out of politeness. Revan heard it clearly in his voice that he was in no mood for talking, but he decided to ignore that. Even if Carth wouldn't admit it, the talk was something he most certainly needed.

"Don't know" Revan replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Just decided to join you. It's rare for anyone to drink on his own, you know?" he asked, purring himself a glass of clear alcohol and sipping it immediately. The cold liquid burned his throat, almost forcing tears out of him, but none came. Revan was already used to the taste of alcohol, and one shot certainly wouldn't make him cry or cough. Carth sighed at his comment.

"I know, it's just… I don't want to talk to anyone. I'd rather be left alone" he hurried with a reply. Revan looked at him unconvinced.

"You know that you're not convincing, don't you? Actually, it's as plain as day that you need to talk to someone. Why can't I be this someone? After all, we didn't have a civil chat since the first day on Dantooine." Carth sighed again.

"Fine" he growled finally. "What do you want?"

"Well," he began, ignoring Carth's hostile tone. "Even if we talked to each other a few times, I still know very little about you. About your past, I mean."

"And why would that be so interesting, huh?"

"Perhaps it would help me understand you a little better. You're always self-contained and almost hostile. I can't say it serves our mission well since we all are a team and we have to act like one. So?" he urged him on.

"I've already told you everything there was to say" he replied in the same tone. "During the bombardment of Telos, I lost my wife, and my son's gone missing. I don't even know if he's still alive. I seriously doubt that you can understand, so please, don't pretend to understand it. You don't have a wife, nor a child."

Revan nodded in response. It was true. He didn't have a child. But he knew what it meant to love a woman. He could only imagine how would he feel if he lost Bastila. And if what Carth told him previously was true, holding her, dying in his arms, would probably too much for him. He had to admit it. Despite Carth's level of ignorance and his short-sightedness, he was strong. He saw others after losing their beloved ones. He saw Yusanis, the legendary Echani warrior who blamed him for Arren Kae's death, and it was enough for him to, at least partially, understand what it felt like to lose the love of one's life.

But what Carth didn't know was that Revan knew perfectly what happened to Dustil. The boy's name lingered deep in his memory when Carth told it to him. He made some effort to find out why it sounded familiar to him. It took him a while, but he managed to recall what happened to the pilot's son. But he had some serious doubts if he was the same person Carth remembered.

"You know" Revan began, doing his best to sound comforting. "If you haven't found the body, then he may still be alive."

Carth shrugged his shoulders. "Never mind." With that, he went silent. Revan sat there for few more minutes, drinking two more shots. Just as he was about to raise up to leave, Carth stopped him. "Wait. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"What's that?" Revan asked intrigued.

"There's something that's just not working out for me. I told you about my past, and now I demand you to tell me something more about you. I'm not buying what you told me back on Taris. If you were just a common soldier, you wouldn't be trained by the Jedi. Moreover, why would the Jedi send you, 'the common soldier' to such an important mission? I can understand why Bastila was sent. After all, she's one of the strongest Jedi, due to her battle meditation. But who are you exactly?"

"I am what I told you previously" Revan replied, picking words carefully.

"Yes, a soldier with the Jedi powers" Carth commented, looking at him closely. It was clear that he wasn't buying it in the slightest. Revan shrugged his shoulders, pretending to sound casual.

"What can I say? It's not my fault that the Jedi didn't find my earlier."

"And how can that be possible? From what I overheard, the Masters on Dantooine claimed that you're far more powerful than most of their students. So how can that be that they haven't found you when you were a kid?"

"I have no idea. Perhaps you should go to Dantooine and ask them yourself?"

"Perhaps I'll do just that?" Carth replied ironically. "This, and you feel… strangely familiar."

Revan shrugged his shoulders yet again. "Well, perhaps because we've spent the last months in each other's company?"

"No, I have a feeling like I saw you before" Carth commented, and a momentary silence lingered between them. "Did you take part in the Mandalorian Wars?"

Revan watched him carefully while replying. "I did."

"Under who did you serve?"

"Admiral Jimas Veeltra." It wasn't fully a lie. Actually, he served alongside Admiral Veeltra.

"Then you also had to serve under Revan" Carth deducted.

"Well, perhaps" he hurried with the response. "I never met him in person, though. Not many of the soldiers did."

"Perhaps?" the pilot asked, raising his eyebrow.

"What? You expect me to remember everyone who I served under? I could go through dozens of minor commanders who gave me orders during the War. I wasn't anyone important in the military, after all."

"I find it hard to believe" Carth replied carefully. "With your set of skills, you should be at least a General." _Thanks for a compliment,_ Revan thought to himself. "Also, I studied your records much more… closely" he added.

"And what interesting have you found?"

"I found out that Alen Royce was killed in the battle of Althir III. It was the same battle during which Revan was taken prisoner by the Mandalorians."

 _Fucking morons,_ Revan cursed at the Jedi Masters. He knew why this name seemed so familiar to him. He couldn't believe that they used the identity of the man who died under him in the Mandalorian Wars.

"I was seriously wounded" he replied. "I was found later by the Republic forces and sent back to some remote Republic planet for vindication. I was then released from my service until the end of the Mandalorian Wars."

"So you did meet Revan in person" Carth commented. "You fought with him that day. He was the one who led the ground assault."

 _Fuck,_ he thought to himself. "I did. But I wasn't near him, or anything like that. I was one of the thousands. One of the few lucky ones to survive."

"And yet the Republic has announced you were dead. How has that happened?"

He was struggling to find some believable excuse but was saved by Bastila who came up to them in that very moment. He almost sighed loudly with relief. Instead of replying to Carth's question, he turned to the newly arrived Jedi Padawan.

"How are the things with your mother?" he asked, clearly ignoring Carth.

"Good" Bastila replied. "Can I ask you for a moment?" she asked, directing the question to Revan.

"What happened?" Carth asked, chiming in.

"Sorry, Carth, but that's a Jedi business."

"Ah, sure. Keep me out of the loop. After all, I'm just a pilot who's on this mission only to carry you from one planet to another."

"Drop it, Carth" Bastila replied in a tone that left no room for argument. The man only sighed in resignation. Before they left, he gave Revan one last look that clearly said they were going to continue their conversation later in the future.

"What has happened?" Revan asked after they left the cantina.

"I think I should be the one to ask this question" Bastila replied, earning a questioning look from the man in front of her. "I sensed through our Bond that you were in troubles. What happened?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Revan laughed at that.

"I wasn't in troubles" he replied. "It was something I could easily handle myself, but… Carth just took me by surprise, that's all."

"And what exactly did he say that the great Darth Revan was taken by surprise?" He chuckled at that.

"He began asking questions. Uncomfortable questions. More than that, I think it won't be long until he discovers my true identity."

"What will you do then?" Bastila asked, slightly worried. They were walking through some backstreets of the Anchorhead City, not caring much where their legs would carry them.

"I guess that what I did with all unhandy persons that I had to deal with."

"Which is?"

"I'll send him on a mission from which he won't return." He earned a rather strong punch in the shoulder from Bastila. Fortunately, she hit his left shoulder. Revan giggled at that. "Okay, okay. I won't do it… perhaps." He laughed again when Bastila punched him once again. He pulled her tightly against him, embracing her. Such position made walking difficult, but they paid that no mind.

* * *

Wolfie was overseeing the ship's repairs, walking through the empty corridors. T3 was in the back of the Ebon Hawk, dealing with the damaged hyperspace drive, while HK was checking the ship's turrets. He wondered how one sandstorm could cause such massive damage.

He was passing by the ship's holoprojector when it suddenly started bipping furiously, surprising the one-eyed pilot. Someone was trying to contact them. He turned it on, accepting the call.

He had no idea who he expected to see in the holoprojector, but most certainly it wasn't Darth Traya. The second he saw her, he immediately kneeled, bowing his head low. She was the only person, except for Revan, he showed so much respect.

"Raise, pilot," the Dark Lady said with the same emotionless tone she was always using. Wolfie did as he was told to. "Where's Revan?" she asked.

"Not here, Milady" he replied immediately. He had his arms entwined behind his back. "He's on the planet's surface. Our ship has suffered some damages. I'm overlooking the repairs right now. Is there something wrong?" he asked, curiously. He had no idea how the Dark Lady was able to find their ship's signature, moreover know that they weren't with the Sith Armada, but he decided to pay it no mind. Darth Traya possessed many skills, some outmatching even Revan himself.

"There's something I have to tell him, pilot" she replied. As always, only her mouth was visible; the rest of her face remained hidden underneath her black hood. "Something of the great importance. I want him to contact me as soon as he is on the ship."

"I'm sorry, Milady, but I don't think it's possible. We're in a hurry, and…" It wasn't given to him to finish what he was saying because an invisible hand clenched tightly around his throat. He was struggling to breathe as he was being lifted into the air, being held at Traya's eye level."

"It wasn't a request, pilot. It was an order" the hologram said. Wolfie managed to give a small nod, signaling that he understood. With that, he earned freedom; the invisible hand was now released from around his throat and he was dropped to the ground. The pilot was trying to get as much of oxygen into his lungs as he could, coughing violently. His face began to return to its original color.

"As soon as Revan returns he is to contact me immediately. I'd rather not repeat myself." With that, the holoprojector went dead, leaving Wolfie, who still was struggling to regain his normal breathing, alone.

 _I fucking hate that choking,_ he thought to himself before standing up and continuing his previous activities.

* * *

Revan had no idea how it happened, but he and Bastila suddenly found themselves in an empty house, engaged in a rather heavy make-out session. All thoughts about Carth, Juhani and everything else escaped his mind, as he was holding Bastila tightly in his arms, kissing her furiously. She was replying to his actions with a similar ferocity. He felt her hands making their way across his body, discarding his clothes. He mimicked her movements, taking off the light robe of her.

Revan was now pushed on the bed. He complied willingly. After all, who was he to disagree with her? It scared him sometimes. The effect the woman above him had on him. He would do absolutely everything for her. He smiled lightly in the realization that he was doing just that.

He quickly changed their position, laying on top of her, as he usually did. He earned a small chuckle from Bastila as he attacked her lips yet again.

Revan earned a small gasp from Bastila as he entered her. As always, she had her eyes closed and a small smile was visible on her lips. She was enjoying the first few seconds of Revan's presence inside of her before he would start moving in and out.

Despite it not being the first time they were making love, Bastila still couldn't get used to the feeling of someone being inside her. It made her feel whole. It made her feel womanly. It made her feel loved.

She gasped slightly yet again when Revan began to gather speed. All the time he was kissing her. Whether it was on the lips, or on her neck, or on any other spot of her skin. She hummed in delight, savoring the incredible feeling only Revan could give her.

Their lovemaking has ended as it always had, with Revan releasing himself inside of her. That moment, Revan's strength failed him and he collapsed on top of her, pinning her down onto the mattress. Bastila parted her lips from Revan's and hummed yet again in delight. She was drawing small patterns on his back with her fingers, making sure not to scratch it anymore.

It took him a while, but finally, Revan escaped her, rolling to the side. Bastila followed him and rested his head against his chest. In no time they both drifted off to sleep, happy to be in each other's arms.

* * *

When Bastila awoke it still was a middle of the night. She was still laying with her head on Revan's chest. She smiled slightly, rubbing her hand against the man's skin.

It was then when she noticed a small object on the finger of her left hand. She brought it closer to her face, trying to make out the small shape. Her eyes widened with shock and surprise when she realized what it was.

It was a ring. Not an outstanding one, but still it was beautiful. A small, golden object fit perfectly her finger, but at the same time, it wasn't squeezing it. Her eyes filled with tears of happiness immediately. She lifted her gaze upward to look on Revan.

He was still fast asleep. His arms were wrapped possessively around her. She didn't see the matching ring on his ring finger. Instead, she noticed a small box on the bedside cabinet that was standing next to the bed they were occupying. Curious as to what it was, she called it to her with the Force.

Inside she found a similar ring to the one she had, but bigger. She smiled widely when the realization struck down upon her. Revan allowed her to make the choice. He already made his own and was now waiting for her to reply. Without thinking long, she pulled out the circular object and put it on Revan's finger. Then, she entwined their hands, enjoying the sight of two rings before she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

They woke up a few hours later, just a few minutes before the sunrise. Both their gazes drifted to their still entwined fingers. The large smiles appeared on their faces as they brushed their ring fingers.

Bastila turned her gaze upward to look on Revan's face. He was watching her with something that could only be described as pure love. It filled her stomach with thousands of butterflies. The sensation was escalated with Revan's lips brushing lightly against her own in a delicate kiss. There was no lust in it, no desire. Only pure, most real love. She smiled against his lips, returning his feelings with her own similar ones.

"Mine?" Revan asked quietly when they finally broke, gasping for air. Bastila smiled even wider at that.

"Yours" she replied simply before adding. "As you're mine."

"As I'm yours" he replied, crushing their lips together.

There were no vows. None were necessary. In these few words, they expressed their never-ending love, devotion, and faithfulness to one another. They continued to enjoy their sweet moment of privacy, knowing that it wouldn't last long. But the Galaxy and everything else could go screw itself. In that moment, only they mattered. They and the love between them.

They knew that it wasn't long before they had to leave Tatooine, so they decided to use in the fullest what little time was given to them. Passion returned to them, showing itself in every kiss they were sharing, in every move of their hands.

Bastila straddled Revan, taking him fully inside of her. The sound of their bodies hitting each other echoed across the room.

A dozen or so minutes later Bastila collapsed on top of Revan, kissing him passionately on the lips. The man beneath her returned the kiss eagerly, holding her face with both of his hands.

Soon they stood up, and began to leave, dressing quickly. They had little to no time before the departure to Manaan. They exited the house with their hands locked.

Revan and Bastila walked together into a new life. For the entire Galaxy, this day was just like any other day. But not for them.

For the two of them, it was their first day of the life of being a husband and wife.

* * *

 **Okay, guys, this is it, I hope you enjoyed this little fluffy scene between Revan and Bastila. Sorry for the lack of action in this chapter, but in the upcoming chapters you'll all get much more fighting, duels and all that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; as always, I ask you to leave your thoughts in the comments below. As I said, you can expect the next update in one week. See you in the next chapter!  
**


	37. Chapter 36

**Welcome Back! I hope you're doing well, and that you're enjoying my story. Also, I send you to an amazing song about Revan called 'What I used to be' by starwarspunk. I found it recently, even if it's already 5 years old, and if you haven't checked this out yet, then you simply must do it right now. The song itself is amazing and it really gives the climate of Knights of the Old Republic game, so make sure to check it out right after you read this chapter.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 36

"Set the course to Manaan" Revan ordered immediately after walking into the Ebon Hawk's cockpit. Just as he expected, everyone was already on board. He ignored the suspicious looks he received from Juhani and later from Carth. "We're done here" he added, putting on his cloak. The temperature inside the ship was much lower than this on Tatooine's surface and the sudden change made him shiver.

"Got bored with the sunny planet already?" Wolfie teased, rubbing his eyes. It was as plain as a day that he didn't sleep the last night.

"You could say so" Revan replied. "Set the coordinates. We have ten long hours of flight before we reach Manaan. The sooner we set off the better."

"You heard him, Carth?" Wolfie asked the second pilot. "Punch in those coordinates. I'm going to get some sleep."

Carth didn't reply to that. Revan could tell that he was going through their earlier conversation over and over again in his head. Muttering some angry words, he complied, pressing few buttons on the keyboard.

Deciding to avoid the continuation of their talk from the previous day, Revan walked out of the cockpit before Carth could call him. "How has the reparation gone?" he asked Wolfie when he caught up with him.

"Good, I guess" the pilot replied. "I mean, from what I saw, everything is right. Perhaps the Ebon Hawk won't explode now in the hyperspace."

"Oh, that's good news" Revan commented. "Is there something else?"

"Actually yes" Wolfie replied, lowering his voice. "Once again, we were contacted."

"Bendak?"

"No. This call came from somewhere else. From Malachor V."

"Malachor?"

"From Trayus Academy, actually. Darth Traya contacted us."

Revan's eyes widened. It was rare for the old woman to contact him. It made him even wonder if dementia has already begun creeping into her mind, making her forget him. Whatever reason she had to contact him now it had to be a serious one.

"I'll contact her as soon as we're done with our mission" he replied.

"I told it her already. She claimed it was too important to leave it for later. She said you must contact her as soon as you're back on the ship. I'd rather listen to the old woman."

"And how am I to contact her now?" Revan replied with a question. "Everyone is on the ship and not all of the crew know my true identity."

"But most of us do" Wolfie countered. "Only four persons don't know who you are. We could handle them easily."

"We have a much more important thing to do now. Malak is well aware of our route. Contacting anyone right now could give him a perfect clue to our whereabouts. He could easily bring us out of hyperspace then."

"As you say" Wolfie replied with resignation. "But if that old witch begins choking me again, try to do something with that." They reached the sleeping quarters. "I'm going to get some sleep now. Wake me up when we reach Manaan."

With that, the one-eyed pilot closed the door behind him, leaving Revan to his own thoughts.

The first thing that occupied his mind was Traya's sudden attempt to contact him. Whatever it was that she wanted, it certainly couldn't be anything nice and he was sure he didn't want to hear it.

The second thing that came to his mind was his recent conversation with Carth and his previous confrontation with Juhani. If the Cathar woman didn't know it already, she was beginning to, at least, guess who he truly was, and Carth started to have his own suspicions. He was sure that the Republic pilot wouldn't make it on his own who Revan truly was. He was too ignorant to do that. But he was sure that the tension on the ship would soon become unbearable.

The only thing that brightened his thoughts was Bastila. He smiled lightly, raising his left hand. The ring was there all the time – small, so it's not sticking out, but it still was there. He knew he made the right decision even if he was supposed to leave her behind after all of this. That small circular object was giving him now a reason to come back, to succeed.

Revan wouldn't sleep now, of that he was certain. He didn't also see the reason in going to Bastila. Even if they didn't have much time left to spend together, it would be good to give one another a respite. He went to his quarters instead, deciding to put to good use the time given to them before they reach Manaan.

The workout was most certainly something his body could use. It was some time since he had a chance to work out. During his retraining on Dantooine, he had several occasions, but that was all. Now he had a possibility to remind his muscles what exhaustion truly meant.

Back in his Padawan days, he learned a rather specific form of working out, practiced daily by the Mandalorians. It was called mesh'lakot. The Mandalorians were using it on daily basis to strengthen their muscles, tendon, and joints. Mesh'lakot consisted of a group of exercises that were requiring only one's body mass. Almost none equipment was needed, what made it a perfect way of working out while being outside. The only thing that was useful was a bar for doing pull-ups, but right now Revan had to do without it.

Revan smiled instinctively. He really enjoyed working out. It allowed him to clear his head from the overwhelming thoughts and helped him keep his body in shape. Also, it was killing time efficiently. So, without any further thoughts, he began warming up, making sure to prepare his body correctly for the upcoming physical effort.

* * *

Bastila smiled to herself. She was standing in Revan's quarters, watching him working out. It was something she used to do during his days as Padawan. She, alongside few other female members of the Jedi Order, used to peek on him while he was busy with the physical training. It always guaranteed amazing views and right now was no exception. Years spent on murderous training and few years of taking part in the wars took their toll on Revan. Often she wondered if it was because of his Mandalorian blood that he was so well-developed.

She bit her lower lip while watching him performing a rather difficult exercise. Revan was currently in an upside down position, supported by nothing but his own strength and balance. His legs were put together with his feet pointing upward towards the ceiling. His hands were placed a little wider than shoulder-wide apart with index fingers pointing forward. His whole body was rhythmically going down and up; the only spot in his body that was constantly moving being his elbows, while all the rest was kept perfectly still. His current position was giving her a perfect view of his scar-covered back, which wasn't given to her to watch often.

Despite him acknowledging her presence, he rather ignored her but she didn't bear him a grudge. She could perfectly understand why he preferred to pretend she wasn't there and instead focus entirely on his workout. The smallest distraction and Revan could end up hurting himself really badly and that was something Bastila certainly didn't want. Which is why she settled for admiring him from afar.

As she was watching Revan bending backward, Bastila rubbed her ring finger of her left hand instinctively, feeling the small, circular object still being there. Her smile grew even wider. In all of his recklessness and impetuosity, she never, ever thought that Revan would do something like that. Perhaps she expected him to pop the question, but certainly not to just simply declare her as his wife. Though she couldn't complain.

One thought just saddened her. Their inevitable separation. She couldn't understand why Revan insisted that she stayed behind while he would go and fight whatever it was out there. After all, with her battle meditation, she could be very helpful. But he kept on saying that it was too dangerous for her to accompany him and all that. She disagreed, of course, but, apparently, she had nothing to say in that matter. She was cheering herself up that he would return to her one day, though, even if that hope was fragile.

"Oh, yeah" she muttered to herself while still biting down her lower lip. Revan was currently doing crunches, making his abdominal muscles shrinking and unclenching all the while. She knew it was a very girly reaction but she couldn't stop herself from that.

Bastila's abdomen erupted with million butterflies as she watched Revan's muscles shaking violently while he struggled to keep his body in a perfectly straight position, supported only by his toes and forearms.

Revan sighed with exhaustion as he dropped his pose. Only now did he truly acknowledge her presence, smiling lightly upon her. She smiled back, handing him a towel so he could fray. He accepted it gladly, beginning with drying his face.

"No way," Bastila said, raising her hand to stop him. "You stink" she added when she noticed that he tried to come up to her. Revan laughed in response.

"Really?" he asked, still laughing lightly. Bastila nodded in response. He chuckled again and reduced the distance that was between them to none in one swift movement. Bastila squeaked at that, making her best to push him back, though her efforts were to no avail. Despite his exhaustion, he held her tightly, making it impossible for her to set free. She protested loudly as he was trying to kiss her, doing her best to stop his lips from reaching hers.

"Well, well, well, rejecting your husband so quickly?" Revan asked teasingly. He leaned slightly backward but he didn't let her go.

"I'm not rejecting you" Bastila protested.

"No? Because to me, it looks just like that."

"I will let you kiss me and do so much more if you just wash" Bastila replied immediately, trying again to release herself from his iron grip. This time her efforts gave her much better results cause Revan's grasp on her lessened visibly. The man in front of her laughed again at that.

"Yeah, I guess I could use that" he replied, releasing her completely. She watched him leave while still standing next to the wall, leaning against it with her back.

She remained that way for few solid minutes; her back pressed against the wall, her eyes closed, her mind drifting across numerous different thought, most of them including her and Revan. Reluctantly, she returned to the presence. After all, she couldn't live her life with daydreaming.

She left Revan's quarters, deciding that she could use a workout as well, only to immediately stumble upon Juhani who seemed to be waiting for her just in front of her husband's quarters. The Cathar Jedi's expression was unreadable, though Bastila doubted if the cat-like woman wished to have some friendly chat. She rarely addressed any of the other crew members, spending the entire days meditating, surpassing even Bastila herself in that matter. Whatever reason she had to talk to her it must have been a serious one.

"Hello, Juhani" she greeted her, doing her best to sound friendly. She didn't have any hostile feeling towards the Cathar woman but she couldn't say she liked her either.

"Bastila" she replied coldly, looking her straight in the eye, making Bastila feel slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't used to looking into yellow, cat-like eyes that seemed to burn down into her very soul. An incredibly long moment of awkward silence followed it.

Bastila tried to maneuver her way around Juhani, only to be stopped by her. "What is it?" she asked, trying to keep worry out of her voice.

"I wanted to talk to you" Juhani replied with the same cold tone. Yet again, the same moment of silence followed.

"Well then, go on" Bastila urged, wanting to get out of the annoyingly awkward situation.

"You seem to be very close with that… Alen" she began. That sentence immediately turned Bastila's inner mental walls on, keeping her thoughts at bay.

"We share a Force Bond if you don't know it yet" Bastila replied, trying to sound as casually as she could. At some point, she succeeded. "And I suppose you know how it works. Sharing thoughts, sensing each others' presence and all that" she explained. Juhani crossed her arms on her chest.

"There's more than what you're telling me" she replied with a broken common language. "I saw the way you two are integrating. You care for him."

"What?!" Bastila exclaimed. _Is it really so visible?_ she asked herself in her mind. "Now that must be just your over interpretation. He and I are linked with the Force, but that's all."

"Then why did he call himself your husband?" Juhani asked, taking Bastila off-guard. She paled slightly, but not so much as for the Cathar woman to notice that.

"He was just… teasing me" Bastila replied, faltering slightly. She did her best to hide her left hand so that the ring wasn't visible.

"Teasing?" Juhani asked, clearly not believing her.

"Yes," Bastila said, this time more firmly. "He's just… immature" she added, looking for the right word. "I guess that his past with the Republic soldiers took its toll on him." Juhani let a 'huh' sound after hearing it.

"So if that Force Bond of yours is as strong as you claim, then you must have sensed the Dark Side in him – powerful as in no one else?" she queried.

"The Dark Side?"

"Yes. The Dark Side. It lingers in him, waiting for an opportunity to show up, to consume him. It happened when he fought the Sand People while searching for you. He wasn't ashamed nor did he regret his actions. He enjoyed killing them, slaughtering them. I sensed it in his words, I saw it in his posture. He IS aware of the Dark Side that is in him and he's not afraid of it. It's almost as if he's embracing it."

"And who says that?" Bastila snapped at Juhani. "Alen told me where he met you. He told me that he fought you on the plains of Dantooine while it was YOU who was embracing the Dark Side."

"I don't deny it" Juhani replied. "But, in opposite to him, I'm doing my best to avoid it. I know that it is there, waiting for me to return to it, but I refuse to listen to it, while he does not."

"Really?" Bastila opposed, crossing her arms over her chest, making sure to keep her left hand hidden. "Because I sense the Dark Side in you and it's actually stronger than in Alen. At least he's never snapping at anyone of us with anger floating out from his words."

"He did just that to me after I confronted him about his deeds on Tatooine. He is tainted by the Dark Side, even if you don't want to admit it, Bastila."

* * *

Revan sighed with relief. A hot shower was something he really enjoyed after a tough workout. He sent silent thanks to those who designed the Ebon Hawk for installing the running water. He was sure that he wouldn't be able to endure cleaning himself only with the sonic showers.

There was something that caught his attention, though. The wound on his right shoulder. He was surprised at first on how easily he was forgetting about it until the moments like this or the one from the day before. What caught his attention wasn't the wound itself exactly, but the area around it.

The blackness was spreading through his blood circulation system, painting his veins black from the inside. It has spread further down his arm, reaching his elbow and partially onto his chest. Also, the dark bags began to appear under his eyes. He had no idea what was happening. He was more than certain that he had cleared the wound more than once and disinfected it, stopping the Rakghoul poison from making its way further into his body.

He had few more antidote vials prepared, just in case. As it occurred, this was the case he would be needing them. He took one of the vials and spilled its content into the syringe. He then drove it into his right shoulder carefully, being careful not to add more damage to his body.

What surprised him was the pain, or precisely: the lack of it. He was used to feeling an unpleasant burning while putting some medicine onto the wound, but no response from his body? Most people would take it for a good sign, but not Revan. The pain was the sign that he was still alive. And if he didn't feel any pain, what did that mean?

Revan dressed up, making sure to be careful around his wound. He decided to take care of that later after hearing the loud rumbling coming from his stomach. Something he enjoyed even more after a workout was eating a proper meal. And he was going to do just that.

With some light clothes on, he made his way to the place where the ship's food was located in.

* * *

Bastila found him in the cargo hold where the food was. She was surprised seeing him like that. He looked just too… normal, she stated without finding a better word. Juhani's words were still loud in her mind, resonating with full strength. This and her recent dream about her beloved one. She knew that the Cathar woman was right about the Dark Side in Revan and that's what caused the surprise in her. Seeing the man responsible for both salvation and damnation of countless beings in the Galaxy sitting like that, eating, was… a rare sight.

She walked up to him, entering the cargo hold. He smiled upon seeing her, as he usually did. She didn't reply, only closed the door behind her. Revan's smile faltered when he saw her worried expression.

"What has happened?" he asked, putting down his plate.

"Juhani" Bastila replied.

"She again?"

"Again?"

"Wolfie reported that there were few problems with her recently. What is it now?"

"She knows, Revan" she replied quietly. "She knows about our relationship. She knows about the Dark Side in you. But, most of all, she knows who you are, and she is aware that you know it as well." Revan wiped his face with both of his hands. He couldn't believe it. It hasn't been even six hours since he woke up and he already felt the pressure of the day. "What will you do with her?"

"And what would you like me to do with her?" he replied with a question. "Am I to kill her? Right now I'm thinking about the way on getting into that Sith Base on Manaan. I have no time to deal with her."

"How did she even become aware of your true identity?" she asked, ignoring his comment

"It must have been Vrook who told her" Revan replied after a moment of thinking. He earned an even more puzzled look from Bastila. "What? I told you back on Kashyyyk that he's hunting me down. And Master Vandar only confirmed that. He told me I have a spy in my crew and Juhani's recent deeds only confirm that she is the spy. I can't believe I've been so blind to it. That I did nothing while being fully aware of the situation." He chuckled humorlessly. "And here I was, thinking that I could find a solution to everything that happens around me."

"And do you have any idea now?" she asked concerned. Revan bowed his head, sighing deeply.

"For the last days, thoughts were occupied with searching for the Star Maps and with you. I have no idea what to do with her now. I guess that all I can do now is to bring our quest to an end and hope that it won't bring any serious problems. But that's not all of your concerns." He said after the moment when he noticed her expression. Bastila sighed heavily.

"It's what Juhani told about you. About the Dark Side inside you. It… brought back th… the dream" she finished quietly, not wanting to look him in the eye. One small tear ran down her cheek. Revan immediately stood up, walking up to her. He wiped the tear away with his thumb.

"I told you I won't become like this" he whispered to her. "I promised it to you and I'm going to keep that promise. Whatever I'll do, I'll do it to protect you, to protect this Galaxy. She is right about the Dark Side in me, as it exists in every one of us. But it doesn't corrupt me. It calls for me, but I can keep it at bay… for you."

"I don't want to lose you, Revan" she whispered finally. "It happened once. Five years ago when you set out to fight back the Mandalorians. You promised that you'll return. You said that you will make it up to me for the time you'll spend on the frontline. And you returned as a Sith, attacking the Republic you swore to protect. I love you, but how can you expect me to trust your promises when you broke the previous one you gave me?"

"Because you're my wife" he replied sternly but quietly. "You're the main reason why I want to return and not to conquer the Republic but to settle down, to have a life with you. I know that I broke the promise I gave you, but it won't happen again. I will return to you only as your husband. Not as a Jedi, not as a Sith, not as a Mandalorian. I will return to you only as your husband, and your husband only. This or I'll die if I won't be able to keep that promise."

* * *

 **Okay, that was it for today, and yes, this chapter was supposed to be a typical stuff upper before we move on further with the plot. Very soon, we'll get to Manaan, Leviathan and Korriban and the Star Forge itself, so, as you can guess, there will be MUCH MORE action. I just want to ask you to be patient. Also, I want to explain one thing. Mesh'lakot is something I came up with, you could say. And what I mean by that is that I couldn't use the original Greek word 'calisthenics', so I improvised and searched in Mando'a the equivalent words that would mean respectively 'beauty' and 'strength'. 'Mesh'la' means beautiful and I didn't find a respective noun so I used the word that had the closest meaning to the Greek 'kalos' – 'beauty'. And 'kot' means 'strength'. I must say that I would be surprised if I didn't find in the Mando'a the word 'strength' XD. And, if you're interested, calisthenics is also something that I personally am training. And as always I'm asking for reviews and it would be nice if someone who hadn't commented 'Price of the Sacrifice' yet, did it now.**


	38. Chapter 37

**Oh, my God, I hate school. Through the past week, I didn't have an opportunity to write this chapter due to a number of school assignments we receive daily and I write it only now during the weekend. Eh, stupid school. Nevertheless, in the recent chapters, we found out that Juhani was the one sent by Vrook to spy on Revan and I know that for many, many of you it looks cliché and farfetched and I apologize for that but I really, really need it for the later chapters just as I need Rakghouls' venom. So please be patient to my feeble writing and I promise that I'll at least try to make it up to you.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 37

"Prepare to leave the hyperspace" Carth announced while still being focused on piloting the Ebon Hawk. Wolfie just recently returned to the co-pilot seat, still being somewhat dizzy from his sleep.

Revan was standing in the center of the ship, reading the reports of the Republic soldiers from Manaan that Fox managed to steal from the Republic database. Just as it has been back when he held the mantle of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Selkaths were neutral, allowing both sides of the war to exploit their natural Kolto deposits. This had a lot of cons and he doubted if it had any pros.

He was determined to get the Star Map data by breaking into the Sith base but he knew that it would not be an easy task. Well, not easy in explaining to the Selkaths why they broke the non-aggression pact binding on Manaan. Revan was sure that there was going to be none in the base who could have posed any challenge, at least not for him.

What he wished for was the small amount of time they would waste on gaining the data. He knew that they couldn't stay on any planet for too long. While the Hutt Space gave them some sort of protection, Manaan wouldn't be able to guarantee it. They had to make it quick since he promised to Bastila to take her later on some sort of date. He sighed heavily, silently cursing his own stupidity. But he couldn't back down, not now.

Juhani was another thing that kept on dwelling in his mind. She was aware of his true identity and he knew it. But he couldn't come up with a way of dealing with her. He already suffered enough headaches from being lectured and he didn't want to end up listening to Jolee or worse: Bastila. As much as he would want to just get rid of her, he simply didn't have an idea on how to do so.

Bastila. She, or rather conversations with her, was another thing occupying his mind. He had no idea why she was worried so much about the Dark Side subduing him, but nevertheless, she did. This was the source of few heated conversations between them.

His thoughts were interrupted by yet another series of coughing. That was yet another thing. He had no idea what the coughing that began just a few hours ago meant but he was pretty sure that the poison in his veins had something to do with it. It began as a small clearing of the throat but escalated into full coughs. Rarely in his life was Revan scared and it was one of these moments. He didn't know what was causing the venom to spread itself so vigorously through his body especially that he used the serum repeatedly.

Almost immediately after his coughing started, Revan began paying bigger attention to the physical signs of his infection. The blackness was in his veins was spreading somewhat quickly, consuming almost his entire right breast. The black bags under his eyes were growing bigger as well, though not as much for it to be worrying. He was also beginning to feel tired, and it wasn't due to the workout he did earlier that day.

He closed his eyes, rubbing them. He reopened them when he felt Bastila's comforting hand on his back. She was fully aware of his infection but, just as he, she had no idea what that meant, which made her worry even more about him. He coughed.

"How do you feel?" she asked gently, a genuine concern was heard in her voice.

"Still the same" Revan replied, not looking at her. He was still focused on the reports in front of him.

"You're distressed" she stated, watching him closely. He chuckled slightly at that.

"I am, aren't I? And wouldn't you be if you were being consumed by the sickness that you don't have the cure for?" he asked her with a humorless smile on his lips. Bastila went silent after that.

"Alen, if you can, come to the cockpit" Wolfie called him from his seat. Revan departed from the holoprojector, brushing off Bastila's hand.

"Stay," Revan said when he noticed that Bastila intended to follow him. "And alert the others. Everyone is going with me for the Star Map. We'll be needing as much firepower as we can afford in that Sith base." Without waiting for her to reply he proceeded to the cockpit.

Through the viewport, Revan could see the azure planet of Manaan. The even color of the planet's surface was broken only by a small spot where the Ahto City was located in and sparse clouds.

"Within thirty minutes we'll be approaching the landing pad on the neutral ground" Carth reported. "I failed to contact the Republic embassy on this planet. Something must be wrong with our communication system" he commented, directing it more to himself. Revan and Wolfie shared the knowing look.

"Gear up, Carth," Revan said, patting the Republic pilot on the back. "You're coming with us this time. We'll be needing as many men as we have for what awaits us."

"Why is that?"

"The Star Map data is located in the Sith base. It is the fastest way to gain access to it but we'll need to break into it."

"Does this mean that I'm coming along as well?" Wolfie asked intrigued, turning in his seat to face Revan. He shook his head.

"No. Someone still has to remain on the ship and T3 is actually coming with us. I doubt if with your eye you would be able to fight properly. So do what you do best and remain on the Ebon Hawk."

"As always" Wolfie muttered to himself, turning back again to face Manaan.

"Wait a second" Carth said quickly before Revan was able to leave the cockpit. "You said that the Star Map is located in the Sith base. How can you possibly know it?" he queered.

"Think about it," Revan said, doing his best to sound convincing. "Revan and Malak found the Star Map and established their own contingent on this planet. They must have secured the data from the Map, keeping it safely locked down."

"Now you sounded as if it was just your guess" Carth countered. "Yet you sounded so sure of it when you said the Star Map is there."

"Trust me, Carth" Revan replied, turning to leave. "The Force will guide us."

* * *

"Our mission will require stealth and awareness, as well as the combat skills" Revan, addressed the gathered crew. The Ebon Hawk was now safely put down on the ground in one of the many spaceports located in the central part of the Ahto City. "The Sith base is well guarded by hundreds of troopers. Our purpose is clear. Gain the Star Map data that's located somewhere in the base's computer terminals."

"And how are we going to get inside?" Mission asked as always eager.

"This is your job" Revan replied, looking at her. "You said that you are more than capable of dealing with any securities. You will bring us in." This earned shock looks from most of the crew members and a surprised one from the Twi'lek he was addressing.

"You can't be serious" Bastila commented, not believing what she's just heard. "Mission's too young for something like that, she's just a…"

"Child?" the blue Twi'lek interrupted, putting both of her hands on her hips. "Listen to me, Mrs. High and Mighty, I've been through things you can't even imagine. Things that your status of 'Jedi Princess' saved you from. I'm not a little girl, I've never been!" she snapped at Bastila. Revan held back a laugh upon hearing that.

"Relax, Bastila," Revan said when he noticed that she wasn't capable of coming up with any response. "Mission has survived long years in the Taris' Undercity, while you couldn't handle there for yourself" he teased her. He coughed. "She'll manage."

"I still think that taking her is not wise" Carth added with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't actually care what you think" Revan replied. "Now, once inside…"

* * *

Mission was trying to remain calm but it was difficult for her. She didn't believe what was happening. The mere fact that the Jedi Knight acknowledged her skills was almost unbelievable. She was excited, how could she not be? After all, it didn't happen every day that you stopped being perceived as a child and started to be treated as an adult.

The blue Twi'lek girl did her best to stop her racing with emotions heart. She knew the importance of their task and that the success depended heavily on her burglar skills. If she failed now, their entire quest on Manaan would be jeopardized.

The first part of her mission was rather easy. With the help of HK-47, she has managed to get a Sith uniform from a lonely woman who didn't watch her back carefully. After hiding the body, Mission dressed in the woman's clothes. Now she really looked like a member of the Sith Empire.

This is how she found herself now wandering the streets of Ahto City. She passed dozens upon dozens of Sith soldiers; none of them spared her a second glance, something she was thankful for. She was well aware that her young age was still visible, no matter what. To add to it the fact that she was a Twi'lek… she couldn't comprehend how no one has stopped her yet. Perhaps it was due to HK whose sheer composure was enough to scare others away? Maybe it was because she did her best to look more adult than she really was? Mission had no idea. She decided to think about it later cause she was now approaching the entrance to the Sith base.

"Hold right there!" It was the first time someone addressed her while being in her new disguise. "What brings you here?" It was a common soldier. The more important person who was sitting at the desk next to the doors didn't even acknowledge her.

After clearing her throat and making her best to sound intimidating, she replied. "I wish to get inside."

"And what makes you think that we'll let you in?"

"I'm the member of the Sith Empire" she replied. "I demand you to let me in."

"The fact that you're wearing the Sith uniform doesn't make you one of us, kid" the soldier replied. Mission felt her heart beating faster as she began to lose her wits. "Now get the hell out of here before I'll lock you up!"

"Warning:" HK said, gaining the attention of not only the soldier but also all the others who were in the small room. "You will either let us in or it will end with bloodshed what would make me happy beyond measure. The choice is yours, meatbags!"

"Meatbags?!" the outraged soldier yelled, picking up his blaster rifle. Mission hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but she had to act now or soon she would be laying on the ground with a hole in her forehead.

Moving as fast as her muscles allowed her to, she drew her own small pistol which had an additional silencer mounted and fired a killing shot into the soldier who was standing right in front of her. There was no sound, except for the metallic armor hitting the floor when the soldier fell dead right where he stood.

Acting quickly, just like the life in the Undercity taught her, she spun on her heel and fired few more shots into the Officer who was sitting at the desk and few other soldiers who were awestruck and unable to move.

The whole action didn't last longer than three seconds and now the room was filled with six dead Sith.

"Remain on guard," she said to HK, coming to the desk. She tossed aside the corpse and sat at the chair that was occupied just a few seconds ago. Her hands were trembling with excitement what made it difficult for her to type anything on the keyboard.

After taking a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, Mission managed to bypass the Sith security. She smiled to herself upon her achievement. Of course, back on Taris, she used to break into some minor places, but, so far, this one was her greatest piece of work. Her efforts were rewarded with the elevator doors opening.

"Come on, HK," she said to the rusty-red droid. Its eyes glowed red with anticipation.

"Gleeful statement: Ah, more meatbags to slaughter. What a wonderful day!" the droid exclaimed. Mission chuckled at that and they both entered the elevator. Once the doors closed themselves a realization struck upon the Twi'lek girl and a look of shock appeared on her blue face.

That day she deprived of life seven living beings.

The more she thought about it, the more regrets she started to feel. Most of these men she killed with cold blood had their own families; wives and children who were supposedly waiting for them back at homes. Perhaps even the woman whose uniform she wore had someone waiting for her. Mission's blue face began to turn pale. How was she now any better than those Sith she hated?

Back on Taris, she used to kill, of course, but those she killed were only Gamorreans or Rakghouls so it was hard for her to feel any remorse. Now, however, she killed the intelligent beings and in the name of what? Maybe those she just killed weren't the rotten to the very core Sith she despised? Maybe they did what they did simply out of fear? Or to protect those they loved? The more she thought about it, the more she started to question the motives of the other side of this war.

"Observation:" HK's robotic voice brought her out of her inner struggles. "We've arrived at the Sith base. I would recommend you, meatbag, to prepare your weapon for it will come in handy." Mission rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, trashcan" she replied. She really didn't like being called meatbag by that stupid droid.

"Objection: I'm not a trashcan, you worthless organic meatbag!" HK shouted at her, causing her to look at the droid in shock. "Threat: the only reason I'm not treating you like other meatbags we're going to kill only because Master forbid me to do it and ordered me to protect you. However, as soon as my Master won't have any usage of you, I'm going to disintegrate you if you dare to call me 'trashcan' again." If Mission was pale before, now she was white as a sheet. This droid clearly knew how to make intimidating threats.

"Okay, okay, sorry" she apologized quickly, looking uneasily at the large blaster rifle in the droid's hands. "You're not a trashcan."

"Observation: I know I'm not, meatbag. Unnecessary clarification: Thanks to my programming I'm far more intelligent than any other being in this Galaxy. It's almost humiliating that I must take orders from the organic meatbags such as you. The only consolation is that my Master shows many droid-alike features that place him far above other meatbags." Their conversation was interrupted by the elevator coming to halt. Mission took a deep breath and HK only reloaded its blaster rifle. "Commentary: This should be fun," the droid said with a voice that sounded very close to an excited one.

* * *

"The entrance is clear" Mission reported to the others, using her wrist communicator. She has just ended dealing with the security system and the camera circuit inside the Sith base while HK was busy with hiding the bodies. The main room was filled with a dozen or so Sith guards and some Intel Officers. It didn't take HK half a minute to deal with the unsuspecting troops. Mission was now waiting for the rest of their team to join her. She didn't receive any reply but she knew that they got her message.

As the time was passing by, she began feeling nervous. The rest of their team didn't send her any message nor were they anywhere nearby; even HK didn't sense them anywhere close.

Her worries were escalated when the communicator in the terminal beeped to life. It caused her to jump in her seat as she heard the voices speaking.

"Diana, do you copy?" someone asked. "It seems that those above are not replying. We sent a team to investigate it, but we still have no results. Just… be on your guard." With that, the communicator went silent.

 _Hurry up, guys,_ Mission thought, wishing for them to hear her. Other minutes were passing by with Mission getting more and more worried. She began pacing across the room while HK was standing still where it was. The blue Twi'lek almost jumped out of her skin when the crate of the air-conditioning shaft flew from its original place and hit the opposite wall. She let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw the familiar face of Alen appearing from the darkness of the shaft.

"Finally!" she exclaimed happily. "What took you so long?"

"We had a little problem convincing our Jedi Princess to enter the air-conditioning" Revan replied with a smile. "Just as back on Taris" he added, earning an elbow into gut from Bastila. Mission watched as the rest of the crew made their way out of the shaft. Zaalbar immediately came to her, picking her up into a bone-crushing embrace. She chuckled slightly at that what was rather difficult due to the fact that she almost couldn't breathe. "By the way, you did an amazing job, Mish" Revan added. "Handling those Sith by yourself…" he trailed off.

"Observation: Master, she didn't handle them all by herself" HK interjected. "Clarification: It's fair to say that I did most of the job" the droid added, praising itself. Revan chuckled at that.

"Of course you did, HK" Revan replied.

"Wasn't there any other way for us to get inside?" Rex complained as he and Fox were struggling to pull T3 up from the shaft.

"Of course there was. We could have used the main entrance and the elevator like the normal, civilized men" Revan said, grinning widely. He earned hateful glances from almost everyone. "…And Wookiees and Cathars" he added after noticing a specific glance from Juhani.

"Then why haven't we?" Bastila asked with her arms crossed over her chest. Revan's grin grew even wider.

"Because, dear Bastila, this way is much more entertaining, especially with you coming along. This and I wanted to give Mission an opportunity to prove her skills, and she did an amazing job." Revan earned a huge, happy smile from the Twi'lek girl.

"Diana" the communicator beeped back to life, causing everyone in the room to look at it. "It seems that someone has killed our men back on the surface. Be on your guard for they can come down to the base!"

"Well, it looks like we've lost the element of surprise" Revan commented, reaching out with his hand behind him. Immediately, a detonator was given into his awaiting palm. He placed it down on the computer terminal and clicked a button, arming it. After three seconds the terminal exploded, sending millions of debris in every direction. Everyone in the room shielded their eyes from the flying metallic objects. "Let's move on," he said; his voice lost any trail of its previous playfulness. "They already know we are here and we must act quickly." He earned a collective nod from everyone and they set out, heading into the long corridor.

* * *

Malak was standing on top of the bridge, staring into the nothingness of the hyperspace. He moved his fleet in a bald, and some would say stupid, move.

He launched an attack on the unsuspecting Dantooine.

He grew tired of playing cat and mouse with Bastila. He needed something to occupy his mind with while his apprentice was searching for the stubborn woman. And h just got an idea how to keep himself busy.

"Lord Malak, we'll be on Dantooine in no more than ten minutes" Admiral Len reported. Malak wasn't on _Leviathan_ that was under direct Saul's command. This time he was testing a fleet of new capital ships that the Star Forge recently produced.

The man who addressed him – Admiral Len – was a man in his late forties with grey hair surrounding his skull. His dark skin was covered with wrinkles that hid the years of expertise and knowledge of the battle.

"Very well, Admiral" Malak said, acknowledging the man. "Have the fleet prepared to launch the attack immediately after we leave hyperspace.

"As you wish, Lord Malak" the man replied, bowing deeply.

Malak would have grinned if only he had a jaw. Many thought that the direct attack on the Jedi hidden Enclave was something he would not dare do, and yet here he was: on his way to Dantooine, preparing to obliterate the peaceful planet.

He didn't care about the thoughts that told him that this was the only place he could once call home. Now his home was the Star Forge, and soon when he will conquer the Republic, Coruscant. Dantooine was only a rubbish, just like Taris used to be, that stood in his way. And Malak learned long ago that the most effective way of dealing with problems was with strength.

He could sense that the Jedi Masters gathered on Dantooine have already acknowledged his approaching presence. He closed his eyes, bathing in the sensation of utter victory over those Jedi. He was fully aware that they had no means of defense against him and this made him even more pleased. Soon, the Galaxy would taste his true power after he dealt with these foolish Jedi Masters who thought he could be stopped.

And then he would have Bastila. He felt it in the Force. He could tell that either way, he was going to get her, no matter what. And then the Galaxy would burn under the firepower of his armada, strengthen with Bastila's battle meditation.

He focused his eyes on the planet below as his ship exited the hyperspace. He watched as his fleet began the assault on the unsuspecting planet. He didn't have any second thought about obliterating the civilian planets like Revan had. No, the Galaxy needed a strong sign. And what better sign than killing those who were supposed to protect this Galaxy from him?

* * *

 **Okay, this was it. Thank you for your patience and that you were willing to sacrifice your precious time to read this chapter. As always, leave a review and see you, guys, in the next update!**


	39. Chapter 38

**Welcome again! Not much to say here, except for one thing: I find your lack of reviews disturbing XD. Of course, I'm not talking about JourneyRocks13 because he is writing a review under every single chapter and I'm extremely thankful for that but I also want the rest of my readers to write what they think. It doesn't take much time and it actually helps me. So read, like, follow and review ;).**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 38

All of this was chaos. One. Big. Chaos.

Or at least so it was in Bastila's opinion.

They were in the Sith base for approximately an hour or so and the path they came from was littered with tens of corpses. The soldiers, the Dark Jedi, the Intel officers… everyone was dead. And yet, more of them kept coming.

Bastila had no idea where Revan and his men were drawing their willingness to fight from. It almost seemed as if it was a game for them – one they very much enjoyed. Her beloved one, HK, Rex, Fox, and Canderous were right at the front, leading their group through the narrow corridors, leaving behind only a few survivors who were then killed by the rest. She watched Revan all the time he was fighting, as much as she had a possibility to do so, and she almost stopped in her tracks when she realized what this all meant.

Revan truly DID enjoy killing.

It froze her to the bone when her eyes confirmed what Juhani said earlier. But what worried her, even more, was the pace of which Revan was getting tired. She watched him fight before, mostly on the holovids from the Mandalorian Wars, and by now she knew that he was more than capable of battling for even few hours in a row. They were in the Sith base for no longer than an hour now and Revan was already panting heavily.

He leaned against the wall after they cleared yet another corridor. The blaster rifles were for nothing in the small area so vibroblades alongside lightsabers were the primary weapons used by them. Though Carth remained with his twin blaster pistols.

Revan wiped the sweat out of his face. They still had to make their way through few more floors in order to get to the Star Map data and he already felt exhausted. At least there was an elevator in the base. He was fully aware it was due to the poison in his body but he couldn't believe just how much it affected him. He didn't feel it a few hours ago when he was working out, but now it all came down upon him, depriving Revan of almost all strength. If these were the conditions he encountered Malak with, he would be deeply and utterly fucked. He would be lucky if the defenses of the Star Forge didn't kill him in the first place.

"Come on, we got to go," Rex said, patting him on the left shoulder. Revan replied with a nod, trying to catch his breath. He allowed everyone else to pass him by as he was struggling to regain his strength, what was rather difficult due to the coughing that erupted in his lungs with full strength.

"Rev" Bastila whispered to him ever so softly. He looked up to see her standing right next to him. The worried expression was written all over her face, allowing him to see all the concern she had for him.

"Bas" he replied in the same tone, faking a smile. It was as clear as day she didn't buy it.

"What's happening?" she asked, placing her hand on his arm.

"Nothing good" he answered, leaning back against the wall. The rest of their crew already disappeared in the next rooms. Screaming alongside clenching of the vibroblades and humming of the lightsabers echoed throughout the now empty corridor. Bastila removed her hand from his shoulder and placed it on his cheek, directly below the blackness that was slowly showing up also on his face. "I didn't manage to get rid of the poison completely" he added. Revan noticed Bastila's lower lip tremble slightly upon hearing this.

"It's my fault" she admitted quietly.

"Do not say so" Revan hurried with comforting her. "You weren't there."

"Exactly. If I didn't get caught on Taris, you wouldn't have to go to the Undercity. You wouldn't get infected" she said on the edge of tears. Revan wiped one tear that managed to run down her cheek.

"How long are you planning to cry over me?" he whispered to her, still holding her face in his hand. Revan moved his head away as another series of coughing made it impossible for him to speak. "You cried when I set out to fight against the Mandalorians, then when I came back, bringing another war to the Republic. Furthermore, you cried when you managed to capture me and after my trial. I didn't deserve all those tears you shed for me, Bas" he said, still with the same gentle whisper. "What defines us is not only our successes or good deeds but also our mistakes, our scars. I wouldn't be myself if I avoided all the bad things that happened to me throughout my life or those I did myself. After all, I wouldn't meet you in the first place." He kissed her lightly on the lips. It was just a brief peck, but it meant the world to Bastila. "Now, let's go on. After all, we have a date waiting for us once we're done here."

"Do we really have time for that?"

"Not exactly" Revan admitted. "But I promised that we'll go, didn't I?"

"You did," she said with a slight smile.

"And I'm the man of my word. I'll find the time for us to go to that date even if I had to burn this world to the ground."

"Do not say so" Bastila replied quickly.

"Why?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Because I know you would be able to do it," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. Revan chuckled at that.

"You bet I would" he replied, pulling her closer to him by her waist. Revan attempted to kiss Bastila yet again, though he was pushed back by her.

"There will be time for this later," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "We should hurry, shouldn't we. Or else we might not manage to our date on time." Revan chuckled again.

"Lead the way, beautiful."

Bastila rolled her eyes at that and stepped away from him. Revan pushed himself away from the wall. His breathing now returned to normal. They walked towards the end of the corridor where the elevator was located in. They were quickly joined by the rest who left the now cleared Intel rooms. Revan could see a satisfied grin on the faces of his men. They clearly enjoyed a good fight.

"That was a nice way you handled them," Canderous said to Rex. "Are you sure you don't have some Mandalorian blood in you?" he asked. Rex only chuckled at that.

"I think not."

"The Star Map wasn't there" Fox reported.

"I know. We go lower" Revan replied, pressing the button that opened the door to the elevator. They all entered it and Revan pressed yet another button that sent them downward. "Better change your weapons to rifles. They will be more useful on the lower levels" he advised and began coughing violently. Every time it was becoming even more annoying and lasted for a split second longer.

Revan cursed silently under his nose and used the Force to nullify his coughing even if only just a bit. It didn't help that he couldn't get rid of that poison by using the Force. It was almost as if… this poison wasn't there in the Force. This was… disturbing, to say the least. Everything was present in the Force, and if this venom wasn't there, it made it impossible to defeat it with one's will only.

"It's nothing" Revan lied when he noticed the concerned looks he received from the rest of the crew. He was relieved when they didn't ask any questions even if it was as clear as day that they didn't believe him.

They reached the lower floor rather quickly. Revan cracked few bones in his neck and spine, preparing for combat. The moment the doors opened, the former Dark Lord ran out from the elevator, activating his lightsabers. Just as he expected, or as the Force told him, the very first room they walked in was filled with dozens of Sith soldiers. Revan, as it usually happened, was in the lead, cutting his way through unsuspecting men of his Empire. There were times when Revan felt remorse after slaughtering his own men like that, but now he had no time for second thoughts. Soldiers were replaceable.

It didn't take him long to deprive of life anyone who stood in his way. Some were capable, after recovering from the initial shock, of defending themselves, though they didn't last long. The precise shots from those who followed him always finished Revan's enemies who didn't die from his first strike.

There was one lucky enough Intel Officer who managed to hit the alarm button, though he was quickly decapitated by Revan's lightsaber that was tossed at him. His headless corpse hit the terminal desk he was sitting at. The alarm's noise was quickly stopped after Fox fired at the computer.

Even if the alarm was quickly destroyed, it did its job with alerting the rest of the Sith base about the intruders' presence. As a result, the thinning Sith numbers were rather swiftly reinforced with additional soldier squads, as well as the war droids. Even if the soldiers posed no challenge, the droids were something entirely different. They were the product of the Star Forge what made them more capable in combat than most of the common soldiers in the Sith Empire or in the Republic.

The droids were of the double height of a normal man and used their front claws while moving. Their weight was making it impossible for them to walk only on their legs what made them a little clumsy. And that was something they had to use if they wanted to defeat those droids. They had the ice- or flamethrowers mounted to their claws which made them deadly in the close combat. The auto turret on their heads only escalated it.

Revan was skeptical as to destroying these droids cause they were almost his greatest ace up his sleeve against the Sith from the Unknown Regions. Being immune to the Force attacks, just like HK-47, they posed a great challenge for most of the Jedi and the Sith alike. Revan wasn't sure if in his current state he was able to defeat them and he'd rather not experience it firsthand if he wasn't.

Revan deflected a shot that was coming forward to his head and sent it back at the one who sent it. He pushed the grenade that somehow found itself next to him and tossed it into the group of soldiers that hid behind a ravaged shelf. The rest of their team, except for him, Bastila, Jolee, and Juhani found shelter behind the now destroyed computer desk.

Rex and the others were smart enough to figure out that the soldiers were the annoying pests that had to be eliminated quickly in order to focus on the droids. The precision mastered during countless campaigns in the Mandalorian Wars allowed Revan's men to swiftly fire the killing shot.

Those of their group who wielded lightsabers were standing at the front, deflecting the shots that were coming their way. The droids' weapons' fire was far heavier than this of the common soldiers. Equipped with heavy rifles, they were more than capable of handling with the intruders. The rapidity with which they fired upon them made it even more difficult to dodge or deflect the shots.

Jolee was sent at the far end of the room they were in by the massive explosion that erupted just in front of him. The source of it was the explosive charge sent by one of the droids. Revan quickly looked backward, trying to find out if the old man survived. He let out a small breath of relief when he saw him slowly raising up to his feet, though not completely unharmed.

Revan had no time to concern about the old Jedi as he himself had some problems with avoiding the droids' deadly precise shots. He cast a quick glance at his other companions, in order to check if they could handle for themselves.

Revan smiled slightly under his nose when he saw Juhani struggling to grip the droids with the Force and crush them, only for her efforts come to naught. His smile quickly disappeared though when he noticed that one of the droids pointed at Bastila without her noticing that. He gritted his teeth and accelerated his moves with the Force, doing his best to make it on time. Time seemed to slow down as the droid's ice thrower came to life, unleashing the ray of freezing charge that was capable of decreasing body's temperature to the point of instant death.

Revan tossed his lightsaber, aiming at the droid's weapon. In the best case, his weapon would be destroyed, but Bastila would remain unharmed. In the worst, however… he'd rather not think what would happen if he didn't make it on time.

He sent silent thanks to the Force when his lightsaber destroyed the ice thrower before it could unleash its deadly charge. The hit caused the weapon to explode in the droid's grasp, freezing it instantly and seriously damaging the nearby machines. Revan's teeth clanked when the suddenly lowered temperature reached him.

One droid was destroyed. Nine remained.

Revan decided to tap into the Dark Side within him that he normally kept hidden deep, suppressing it with his mental strengths. Though now it would be more than useful in combat. Besides, he had to master the control over it. After all, in the battle against the Sith from the Unknown Regions, he would be using both Sides of the Force, and not just one.

Now, with just his red lightsaber left and his eyes burning with a hateful gold, he launched himself at the droids. His fury intensified by the fact that one of the machines HE created tried to harm Bastila, his Bastila, his arrogant, sometimes shortsighted, but gorgeous and extremely talented wife.

Suppressing the coughing that threatened to erupt within his chest, he ran at the closest droid, dodging the attack from the flamethrower by last second. He glided on his knees below the droid, the fire gently licked his face, though not enough to make any harm.

Revan leaped upward from his knees, finding himself now directly behind the droid. For a millisecond he was in an upside down position, slashing his lightsaber through machine's gas canister, making a small cut, though it was more than enough for the gas to begin evaporating. The Force Lightning erupted from his second hand, making contact with the cut in the canister, causing the droid to explode instantly, sending dozens of shards in every direction.

The whole situation lasted not longer than four seconds, everything happening far too quickly for one's eye to notice it. In one moment Revan was rushing at the droid and in the next one, he was attacking another machine with the first one exploding.

Revan's men reduced the fire from their blaster rifles, in order to not hit their leader. Juhani and Bastila were occupied with helping Jolee to rise to his feet. He had one nasty burn mark on the right side of his face. The scar covered the entire half of his head and even some part of his neck. His facial hair, as well as his eyebrows, were reduced to none in the explosion. His entire robe was in pieces. It was a miracle that it didn't burn down. Removing the melted clothing would be far more difficult for if it should burn down and coalesce with the flesh.

Both Jedi used the Force to close the wounds in Jolee's torso from which the blood was sipping steadily. They were relieved when the man's breathing returned to normal and his flesh began to accrete. He lost a lot of blood, but he wasn't beyond saving.

Rex and Fox leaped out from their cover, quickly being followed by Canderous and HK. It wasn't in their nature to stand aside when Revan was fighting, despite the fact that he was doing well with the war droids.

Even if the droids were invulnerable for the Force attacks, they had some flaws that Revan was laboriously using right now. Such as their physical size which made them somewhat clumsy if it was possible to say about the artificial machines. This was something that Revan had to improve as soon as he regains the control over the Star Forge, but now it came in handy. The droids were strong, but not mobile, and that made it impossible for them to keep up with constantly dashing Jedi.

The constantly changing air around them that shifted from burning hot to freezing cold made it difficult for any living being to keep fighting; the thermal shock was almost inevitable. But the fervor of battle allowed the skilled warriors to ignore the still changing temperature of their surroundings.

Revan's condition made it more and more difficult for him to keep fighting. His lungs were burning with the craving for oxygen that they didn't receive. The coughing that he kept suppressing within his chest has now completely blocked his air passages. The only thing that kept him conscious was the Dark Side that now fueled every single muscle of his body. It provided his lungs with the energy they needed, but still, nothing could fully replace the normal air.

Revan's masterful strikes combined with soldiers' precise shots allowed them to rather quickly deal with the group of war droids. When they did, Revan's eyes returned to normal green and he rested against the wall, struggling to regain his breathing. He was coughing for a solid minute as his air passages were being cleared from the mucus that settled there. His eyes glazed over from the exertion.

"Wait here for us" Revan declared to the part of their group that was taking care of Jolee. He earned shocked looks from every single one of them. "I, Rex, Fox, Canderous, HK, and T3 will go for the Star Map. Remain here with Jolee and make sure he makes it out okay. Also, search throughout all the rooms. Take everything that may come in hand; Credits, supplies, medicines, ammo, and generally whatever you can find. We should be back soon."

"Won't the Star Map be under heavier guard?" Mission queried. "We barely handled here, let alone where it will be kept! If you go in fewer numbers, you may not come back at all!"

"We'll manage, kid" Canderous replied with his usual, harsh tone. "Every single one of us fought in worse conditions than this. It's nothing we can't handle." Revan nodded, confirming the Mandalorian's words.

"We'll be back soon" Revan repeated, turning to leave. He coughed all the way to the staircase that led to the lower levels of the Sith base where the Star Map data was being kept.

Revan and his men quickly passed the stairs and found themselves in a much smaller area than the one they were previously in. A long corridor, barely floodlit that had no off-shots and led to a small room that contained the computer with the Star Map data. Revan found it strange that there was no guard here. When he left this place, he made sure to leave the biggest amount of soldiers and droids down there.

He sensed someone though. Someone powerful in the Dark Side but not as powerful as he or let alone Malak. He recognized this presence, but he couldn't just recall who it was.

His question as to guards' whereabouts was soon answered as he noticed a huge pile of corpses resting against the far wall of the corridor. He came closer to and examined them carefully. Their wounds were made with a lightsaber, though some of the dead bodies contained far more dangerous scars. The scars visible not with the eyes but with the Force.

Even if someone was dead, he still could be detected with the Force. Revan had no idea how it worked but that's just how the things were. The dead bequeathed a specific trail in the Force but some of the corpses from the pile seemed to be… ripped out from the Force. Even if those were common soldiers, their life essence was brutally taken away from them. Not with a weapon but with something much more terrible; a technique that even Revan dreaded to use.

He encountered victims of this ancient power. He knew how to use it, though he did it on extremely rare occasions. He was sure he could count on one hand the situations in which he used this technique. There were few reasons why he dreaded to reach for it. The most serious one was the fact that the usage of it left scars not only on the victim but also on the attacker. The one who wielded it was slowly becoming more and more dependent on it. It made him its victim, unleashing the remorseless hunger that just couldn't be fulfilled.

"Be on your guard" Revan warned them. "Whatever killed those men is something we cannot neglect."

"Observation: Whatever killed those meatbags is just another meatbag," HK said, reloading the blaster rifle. "And no meatbag is immortal."

"I hope you're right, HK" Revan murmured. He truly hoped that his favorite killing machine wasn't mistaken. For all he knew, the Sith Emperor was a living being, but so devoted to the Dark Side and Its techniques that it made him invulnerable to the effects of time. With the ancient ritual, he achieved what many dreamed of – immortality. Revan wished that he could prove it wrong. For if he didn't… Force save the Galaxy. If he should fail, the Galaxy would burn down to ashes.

Revan coughed again, cutting out the unpleasant thoughts and preparing for the upcoming duel. He really hated the fact that the threat from the Dromund Kaas now resting on his shoulders.

* * *

 **Oh shit, this was a difficult chapter to write. Mostly because recently the depression began to develop in me and now I wake up every day with a conviction that everything sucks and my sleep is getting shorter every night. I just hope it won't come to the point where I won't be sleeping at all. It's enough that I almost stopped eating… Through three days I lost 2 kilograms. Eh, I can only hope that it will get better one day. As always, leave a review, add this story to your favorite and follow it. See you guys in the next chapter!**


	40. Chapter 39

**I'm sorry guys for the one week delay but again school made it impossible for me to write this chapter. Also, today I turned eighteen, so… happy birthday to me I guess XD. But, with no further delays, here is 40** **th** **chapter of 'Price of the Sacrifice'.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 39

To say Revan was disappointed would be an understatement.

After seeing the corpses and searching throughout the Force, he anticipated someone powerful or, at least, talented. He was sure Malak was aware that he was alive. From this reason, he expected that the current Dark Lord would send someone more… qualified.

Which is why he literally stopped in his tracks when he saw none other than Bandon. It took him all of his willpower to not start laughing uncontrollably. From what he recalled, Bandon was rather… average Force wielder. He always wondered what special his former apprentice saw in that man.

"My Master warned me about your survival" Bandon spoke upon noticing the intruders. He was sitting in the middle of the room, cross-legged. Around him, a dozen or so of Dark Jedi were gathered as his personal attendants. They were spread across the room, standing next to the walls; they clearly didn't want to disturb him in his meditation.

"And yet you stand here, fully aware of who I am" Revan replied with a sound of disbelief in his voice. Surely, even someone as shortsighted and arrogant as his former apprentice had to, at least, warn Bandon about his skills.

"I'm fully aware of who you once were" Bandon corrected him, raising up from the meditating pose. "I've heard about your captivity. Tell me, how can it be that a mere Jedi Padawan managed to capture the Dark Lord of the Sith himself?" he asked in a mocking tone. "You brought a disgrace to all the Sith Lords, and yet you dared to claim that you were taking knowledge of the ancient spirits of Korriban. I'm proud that my Master took your place" Bandon finished, spitting at the ground right in front of Revan.

The young man looked for a moment at the place where Bandon spit. He pondered for a while before answering.

"Tell me" he began, still not lifting his gaze. "Did your Master tell you about his cowardice? How he backstabbed me in the Sernpidal system. How he lacked the courage to face me in the open battle. In that single moment, he proved that whatever I told about him was right." Revan finally looked upward from the ground, eyeing the man in front of him. "Did he tell you the truth about that day?" he asked again. Bandon spat again.

"My Master did what he pleased" Bandon replied. "He saw the opportunity and seized for it. In opposite to you, he isn't afraid of taking action, and neither am I. It's fair to say that I surpassed you."

Revan couldn't hold it anymore. He burst out laughing, occasionally being disrupted by the coughing that still was persecuting him.

"As always, shortsighted, arrogant and conceited" Revan commented when he managed to calm himself. "I never could say you were more than average, hence I have no idea why in that puny brain of yours the thought of you being better than me even occurred, Bandon."

Revan saw it in his eyes. An uncontrollable rage caused by his words. He smiled slightly under his nose. The tactic he learned long ago during the Mandalorian Wars was now bringing effects. Angering your enemies before the fight made them more vulnerable. Even if the Dark Side required such emotions as hatred, it still didn't ensure one's victory. It made one mistake prone.

"My name is Darth Bandon" he spoke with superiority strengthened with anger rising in his chest. "In opposite to you, I deserved this title" he added, igniting his red saberstaff. Revan smirked again.

"And mine I earned with blood" Revan replied calmly, igniting his own crimson red lightsaber. "Deal with those idiots," he said, addressing those who followed him. "I'll take the Dark Lord's apprentice" he added with a mockery as clear as day in his voice.

"Commentary: This should be fun."

Suppressing the cough that dwelled inside his chest, he rushed at the man in front of him. He hoped to quickly decapitate his enemy, though it wasn't the case. Months ago, Bandon mayhap was an average student from Korriban, but now training under Malak bore fruits.

Revan could see his former best friend's combat techniques in the fighting style of his opponent. Precise, powerful blows, coming mostly from above, were deadly if not blocked. He never liked such combat tactic, though he couldn't deny that it was effective. Combined with the velocity of the strikes that was possible only with the saberstaff, Bandon was much more than an average opponent.

Suddenly, he wished he didn't lose his second lightsaber in the battle with the war droids. Two weapons would be much more helpful against the saberstaff instead of just one. But now he had no other choice than to adapt to the situation he was currently in. Once again that day reaching forward to the Dark Side, relying on the strength it would give him, he focused even more on the fight.

Their lightsabers crossed once again, none of the two standing down. Two pairs of sickly yellow eyes were locked on each other as if trying to break the enemy's will or courage. Around them, the Dark Jedi were engaged in the even fight with the Revan's soldiers, while T3 was standing good few meters away, bipping nervously every now and then as if worrying for the well-being of the humans he was traveling with.

Revan leaped away from his opponent in a futile attempt to somehow surprise him and make him lose his balance. It didn't work in the way he wished it would, though. Of course, Bandon was somehow caught by surprise, but he didn't make any mistake or something like that. He had to regain his balance by taking a step forward with his right leg, but nothing more than that. Malak's apprentice smirked defiantly.

"I'll show you who's average," Bandon said, cracking few bones in his neck. Revan squinted and clenched his teeth. The grip on his lightsaber tightened, turning his knuckles white.

Bandon charged again with the similar ferocity he showed earlier. Revan's moves started to get sluggish, while Darth's were becoming more and more powerful and precise. It surprised the former Dark Lord that he actually had to try to keep up with his opponent. Rarely did such situation take place.

Revan moved his blade upward in order to block the oncoming strike. Two lightsabers colliding created a hissing sound that all men in the room were too familiar with. The strength of his right arm was evaporating rather quickly due to the wound on his shoulder. He had to back down under the clout of the blow that was additionally empowered by the Force.

Revan had to roll aside in order to avoid yet another heavy strike that came from the same direction. Sparks came from the floor where Bandon's weapon hit it. The former Dark Lord wasted no time in getting up and returning to his fighting stance. This time he decided to be a little more offensive than he used to be until this time. Directing his own swift strike in an attempt to break his opponent's defenses, he managed to somehow catch Bandon off guard. Revan smirked a little after seeing that Malak's apprentice had actually some troubles with deflecting his blows.

His smirk was quickly wiped off of his face, though when Bandon quickly regained his footings and turned to offensive once again. This time his strikes were coming from both his sides and not from above, what was rather easy due to the saberstaff he wielded. Holding his lightsaber with both his hands, Bandon dealt few quick strikes from both sides, each time attacking with the alternate blade of his saberstaff. Revan had to act quickly in order to block all the blows. He gripped his lightsaber tightly with both hands and focused on the oncoming strikes. Keeping his gaze on his enemy's weapon, he failed to notice that one oh Bandon's hands lessened its grip on the saberstaff and was now pointed in his direction.

Revan had little time to react as he was sent flying backward. He didn't see the Force Push that Bandon sent in his way and in the effect, he hit the wall hard with his back. It caused his spine to crack loudly and for a brief second, he was afraid that something serious happened in his vertebral column.

He was relieved when he was able to get up and move all his limbs, but he had no time to contemplate it because Bandon was on the offensive again. Revan leaped away quickly from the wall. If he didn't do it, he most likely would be pinned to it by his opponent's lightsaber. Jumping over Bandon, he landed behind him, raising his blade just in time to meet his weapon. For the first time, he managed to penetrate Bandon's defense.

As the result, his opponent's saberstaff was cut in half, deactivating one of the blades. Revan smirked, earning an angry growl from Bandon who looked first at his broken weapon and then at the man he was fighting with.

Now was the time for Revan to gain the upper hand in the duel. Bandon most certainly wasn't used to the weight of only one blade what made his moves unbalanced.

Finally, Revan's opponent began to make mistakes.

Even weakened with the poison, Revan was second to none in the entire Known Galaxy when it came to using the lightsaber with just a single blade. Smirking, even more, he proceeded with the offensive, making Bandon step backward. Around them, Bandon's Dark Jedi were falling, unable to keep up with the fully trained Revan's men and his assassin droid.

After a failed attempt to cut his opponent in half, Revan delivered a powerful kick to Bandon's face, causing him to back down. Malak's apprentice brought his free hand to his face where Revan's boot made contact with the flesh. His nose was heavily bleeding; the blood was sipping through his fingers.

Bandon growled angrily yet again and charged at Revan. With every attack that the former Dark Lord could now parry with ease, his strikes were becoming more and more sluggish. It was easier and easier for Revan to keep up with the older man's moves, additionally delivering every now and then his own, powerful blows that nearly broke Bandon's defenses.

Pushing Bandon back toward the wall, Revan managed to cut his opponent in several places, including his arm. With lightsaber burns like that, it was almost impossible for one to keep up with the fight. As the result, more and more cuts began to appear on his body where Revan went right through his defenses.

Summoning with the Force the lightsaber of one of the defeated Dark Jedi, Revan doubled his attacks. He saw it on Bandon's face; the uncertainty. He grew uneasy. He realized that without his saberstaff he wasn't capable of defeating Revan.

"It's impossible" he hissed. "The Dark Side is with me, my powers are too strong."

"I've told" Revan replied between the strikes. "Nothing more than an average student."

Bandon roared with anger and tried to break through Revan's impregnable line of lightsabers. It turned out to be a futile attempt, as Revan parried his strikes with ease. It turned out to be his damnation as well.

Revan noticed the break in his opponent's defenses, escalated with the fear. Driven by the instinct perfected during countless campaigns in the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War, as well as the Force, he directed his push right into Bandon's body. The lightsaber easily pierced right through the armor, impaling the Dark Jedi to the wall he was standing at.

"You cannot beat me" Bandon protested, blood coming from his mouth with every word. "I surpassed in every possible way, I'm the apprentice to the Dark Lord of the Sith himself, the Dark Side is with me. You cannot beat me!" he repeated. Revan grinned and coughed in the response.

"You forget that I am the Dark Lord of the Sith," he said, calming his breath. "And you are nothing more than a pathetic excuse for a Dark Jedi."

With one swift strike, Revan decapitated still pinned to the wall Bandon. His head rolled around and stopped directly at his feet. The golden eyes were now staring blankly into nothingness.

"I'll never get what is so tempting in shaving your head bald" Revan murmured to himself, kicking the object that way laying at his feet. "T3," he said to the droid that was standing at the entrance until now. "The Star Map is inside that terminal" Revan instructed, pointing at the computer that was standing at the far end of the room. "Download the data and leave the base. It seems Jolee will require some medical help."

"And what about you?" Rex asked when he noticed that Revan began to make his way out of the room.

"I have some much more serious business to attend to" he answered vaguely. "Don't search for me. I'll return to the Ebon Hawk at dawn and we'll set out immediately. Our next target: Korriban."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

"I must admit I haven't expected you to be a romantic type" Bastila commented with a small smile, slowly sipping a red wine from the glass that she was holding in her hand. They were currently resting in the restaurant that was located few miles away from the Ebon Hawk. It was a rather exclusive place, considering the dignity of persons gathered there.

They had a meal that Bastila didn't think they would be able to pay for. But yet again Revan surprised her by pulling out a rather significant amount of Credits. What surprised, or made her uneasy, was how Revan came in possession of the money. If what he said was true, it was his 'war trophy'. And that's exactly what made her uneasy. It was commonly known across the Galaxy that Revan didn't take any money after winning the Mandalorian Wars. And that could only mean that he came in the possession of these Credits during the Jedi Civil War by conquering the individual systems and accepting their price for stopping the bloodshed.

"And I never thought you're so into drinking the alcohol, dear one" Revan replied, taking the sip from his own glass. "So young and yet already addicted" he added with a smile. He earned a furious blush from his wife.

"I'm not addicted" she protested, putting the glass back. "Besides, I'm not that young. I'm twenty! You were the same age when you went to war with the Mandalorians and somehow no one was rubbing your nose in that case."

"First: you're not twenty. You're nineteen. Your twentieth day of birth will come in the week and a half. Second: it's not true that no one ever rubbed my nose in the matter of me going to war. The Senate, the Council, the Republic officers… all of them had something against me. That I'm too young, that I'm too inexperienced, that I'm too blah, blah, blah… Believe me, I didn't have an easy life in the Republic Navy.

"Oh, you still remember when my birthday is" Bastila commented in a mocking tone. Revan smirked at that.

"And what made you think that I could forget?"

"Oh, I don't know" she replied, pretending to think hard. "Perhaps because you were too busy with killing, conquering and converting the Jedi to the Dark Side."

"Perhaps I was," Revan said, pretending he didn't hear her comment. "But I never forgot you."

It silenced any other of her comments, at least for now. What surprised Revan was a small tear that appeared in her eye. He reached over the table and wiped it away with his thumb.

"I thought I've told you not to cry over me anymore," he said softly and placed a brief kiss on her lips. "Those days are long gone. You are now my wife and nothing can ever change it" Bastila smiled at that and few more tears escaped her eyes. This time though these were the tears of happiness, not sadness.

"I love you, Rev" Bastila replied softly, leaning forward. She returned the kiss that she just received, putting in it all the love she had for the man in front of her. She savored the moment, enjoying the warmth of Revan's lips on her own ones.

"I kept my part of the deal," Revan said after backing away slightly. "Now, where is my mask?" he asked with a childish grin.

Bastila leaned back in her seat upon hearing that. Her smile was gone as well as the mood of their first date. Revan indeed had the talent to spoil the moment.

"You really had to ask that question, hadn't you?" she asked him without any trail of her previous tone.

"Well, considering that you'd most likely forget that I want to reclaim it, I had to ask that to take care of the well-being of my favorite thing."

"Am I not your favorite?" Bastila asked; the disappointment as clear as day in her voice.

"You're not a thing, dear Bas" Revan replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're the closest person to me, but the mask is something I'd rather have with me."

"Oh fine" she snapped at him. "You'll get your bloody mask." Revan grinned at that. "But before I do, one more thing."

"And what is that?" he asked curiously.

"There is something I've noticed back in the base. The way you fight. What I said back on Tatooine is still accurate; the Dark Side is visible in you, it flows through you. Why are you not fighting it if you claim to not be under its influence? Why do you enjoy killing?"

"Just because I'm using the Dark Side doesn't mean that it controls me in any way," he said, repeating what he told earlier on Tatooine. "One must know the poison in order to find out how to fight it. Which is why I'm using the Dark Side. As for my liking for combat… it has nothing to do with the Dark Side, darling." Bastila looked at him with a questioning gaze. "I am the Mandalorian, after all. As my parents once were and their parents before them. It's in my blood. I cannot deny who I am."

"Is it really like that? Being a Mandalorian means that you have to enjoy fighting and killing?"

"I suppose so."

Bastila huffed at him, leaning even further backward in her seat. She looked away, taking in the breathtaking view of the endless ocean of Manaan. The waves were gently splashing against the walls of Ahto City. Every here and there, unknown to her sea creatures reviled themselves from the depths of the dark waters.

Revan finished the wine that remained in his now almost empty glass. He was still holding it with his index finger and thumb, trailing around it with the index finger of his second hand. It created a not unpleasant, but rather an annoying sound.

"Could you please stop?" Bastila asked after a minute or so of him constantly creating the annoying sound. Revan smiled at her and put the empty glass back on the table.

"Could you please give me my mask back?" he replied with a question. Bastila clenched her teeth tightly in irritation.

"I should have known that you wouldn't do it for me but for your stupid mask" she commented, emptying her glass. "For you, it was only a deal to make me do your wish." She shook her head in annoyance. "What have I ever seen in you in the first place?"

"Am I supposed to point it out?" Revan asked with a playful smirk. "I didn't lie to you when I said that I want to ask you out. In fact, I would have done it even if I didn't know you were in possession of my mask. I thought it would be nice if we found a spare time to go somewhere together. But I didn't lie to you either when I told that I want to retrieve my mask."

"But you infuriated me to no end with that question about your mask, do you know it?"

"I guessed. I'm sorry, okay? I didn't want it to sound that way."

"Did you really have to ask it in the first place? I think I've told you that I'll give you your mask back. You didn't have to ruin the moment, you know?"

"I'm sorry, Bas" he murmured apologetically. "Perhaps I grew inpatient in the recent days."

"Perhaps" she replied, still not looking at him; her arms were crossed over her chest. Revan stood up and came closer to her. He gently took her face in his two fingers, making her look at him. She complied a little unwillingly.

She wanted to protest when she felt him lifting her up with the Force, but she couldn't find words to do so. Soon she found herself being firmly held by Revan. He was taller than her for few good inches, making her tilt her head up in order to look at him. She had no idea what he was doing until she felt one of his hands on her hip and the second one intertwining with her own one. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a gentle music started to play and Revan began to move them around.

She couldn't believe that they were actually dancing in the restaurant.

"Revan stop!" she hissed. "There are people around."

"Where?" he asked innocently, looking around. Bastila followed his gaze and notice that they indeed were all alone. Reluctantly, she allowed Revan to carry her around.

"Where is the music even coming from?" she asked, not noticing anything that could produce the sound.

"What was it that the Jedi Masters often repeated?" Revan answered with a question. "Everything is possible with the Force."

"I doubt they meant something like this" she commented, relaxing a little.

"Don't say you're not enjoying this" he said with a smirk on his lips. Bastila looked at him for a while and finally chuckled a little, allowing herself to relax completely. She leaned her head forward to rest it on his chest. She breathed in the air filled with the salty air of the ocean, as well as Revan's natural smell. A happy smile made its way to her lips.

Even if Revan had the talent to ruin the romantic moods, he had an even better one to repair them.

She felt her head being tilted upward from his chest. Then she felt a gentle kiss on her lips. Without opening her eyes, she smiled and eagerly returned the kiss.

They remained that way for quite some time, embracing each other, kissing and gently dancing to the soft rhythm. Reluctantly, they returned to the Ebon Hawk and prepared for the beginning of an end of their quest.

As well as the beginning of an end of their happiness and their time together.

* * *

 **That's it for today. If you think that Revan getting his ass kicked for some time by Bandon sucked, I remind you that he is still under influence of the poison so he is significantly weaker than he used to be. Also, leave a comment, add this story to your favorites and follow it if you haven't done it yet. See you later guys in the next update!**


	41. Chapter 40

**Welcome back! Writing the full chapter in one go? Huh, interesting XD. Update a little sooner, because I'm ill and I spend all days at the computer so I decided to make a good use of this time because I can't just play League of Legends all the time XD. Enjoy hehehe.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 40

"I can't believe you actually kept it," Revan said, chuckling. He was digging through Bastila's personal things in order to find his beloved mask but on the way, he stumbled upon numerous various things. His amusement was caused by the rather unusual item he found in her bag that he was holding in his hands. Bastila raised slightly, leaning on her elbows for support to see what he was talking about.

Her cheeks turned red a little after seeing what he was holding. In his hands was resting a stuffed teddy bear. Revan pressed its tummy and, just as he expected, there was a gentle tune coming from the toy. The former Dark Lord grinned.

"How can this thing still work?" he queried, his grin not fading away. "I gave it to you like… fifteen years ago."

"Fourteen" Bastila corrected him, raising up from the bed. "And why shouldn't it be working anymore?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't know. It's just… it's been a long time since I've purchased it and I didn't expect you to keep it for so long. I mean, I gave it to you so you could have something against the bad dreams."

"And why do you think they disappeared?" she asked, looking him directly in the eye. It was one of these rare moments Revan was dumbfounded. "For two years you've been at the front line of the Mandalorian Wars" she continued, seeing he had nothing to say. "Each day could be your last and I'm aware just how close you were to die during all of the campaigns. You think I wasn't watching holovids? I was always the one to keep up with the reports, knowing exactly what was happening to you. And when Alek brought news to Coruscant of your captivity after the Althir III… You think it didn't affect me in any way? You have no idea how many sleepless nights I've spent thinking whether you were alive or if you laid already dead with a hole in your head on some forgotten planet. So yes, it helped me to keep the nightmares away" she finished, pulling out the bear from his hands.

"I'm sorry." It was all he could muster.

"Don't be" Bastila replied, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you. After all, you couldn't have known, and now it's just past" she said, stroking the teddy bear behind its ear as if she was petting a real animal. She pressed its tummy to let the gentle tune play again. The silence fell between them, broken only by the music coming from the stuffed toy. She tossed it on the bed when the music stopped.

"Hey, hey, hey there it is" Revan exclaimed, walking to Bastila's bag. He reached inside, pulling out his mask. "Hey there, I missed you," he said with a huge smile plastered on his lips. He ran his hand over its surface as if checking if nothing was wrong. Bastila watched the entire scene with amusement, even though the object in Revan's hand was for billions the sign of suffering and misery. And yet seeing the man who was responsible for bringing Mandalorian to their knees and later doing almost the same with the Republic, acting like a child who got his favorite toy back was amusing.

Revan, for the first time since his capture by the Jedi, truly felt whole. If there was anything in the Galaxy he was completely and utterly attached to, except for Bastila, it was his mask.

The moment was broken by a cough that erupted in his lungs once again. He bent over, bringing his clenched hand to his face as if in an attempt to stop the annoying symptom. Bastila quickly found herself at his side, not knowing how to help. Her expression turned to a worried one as Revan's face turned red from the exertion and his eyes glazed.

It lasted for a solid minute but eventually, it faded away. Revan cleared his throat few more times in order to fully get rid of the mucus that settled on his throat.

"Will you finally do something with it?" Bastila asked, looking at him worryingly. "It's terrible hearing you coughing like this all the time."

"If only I knew what can be done, I…" he replied, but he stopped due to something unusual he felt. A warning from the Force. He looked around as if wanting to locate it with his eyes, though he knew that the source wasn't there. He looked at Bastila and noticed that she felt it too.

 _Oh fuck,_ he thought as the realization hit him and he ran out from the living quarters to the center of the Ebon Hawk; Bastila following him closely.

* * *

"Admiral Karath" one of the soldiers addressed the Commander of the Sith fleet.

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"Our sensors have picked up a message coming from the area not far from Manaan that was sent to Coruscant."

"What's odd in this?" the aged Admiral asked, not paying much attention. "Many messages are sent throughout the Galaxy in every direction."

"Admiral, I wouldn't be bothering you if I didn't think it is important. We deciphered the message as well as the signature of the ship from which this message was sent."

"And?" Saul asked, slowly beginning to lose patience.

"The signature 34-P7JK matches the one sent to us by the Czerka Corporation. They confirmed that the ship with similar registry was spotted on Kashyyyk, then on Tatooine where we've lost contact with our spies. I'm not sure if this ship was on Manaan as well, but we couldn't contact our men in the embassy. But we believe that this ship was there, what would explain why the message was sent from there."

"This order of planets…" Admiral trailed off.

"This is the order in which the Star Maps must be found" Lieutenant finished for him.

"Revan" Saul murmured to himself. "What did the message say?"

"Korriban" he replied.

"Is this ship far from here?"

"It's less than two hundred light years away from Manaan. We calculated their presumable route and their speed. They seem to be heading towards Korriban indeed. They will reach the planet in less than thirteen hours, or so."

"Which route are they heading?"

"They will cross the Parlemian Trade Route and later the Gordian Reach. If we set out now, we can cross their path in the Zeltros System."

Admiral dove into his mind, thinking it through and through. The similar signature of the ship meant almost nothing. Through the viewport, he could see the remnants of the Republic fleet, crumbled by his inevitable Navy. With this victory, the way into the Core Worlds was nearly opened; one final push remained. On the other hand, he could risk to trust the uncertain information and capture the deadliest man in the Galaxy.

"Admiral? We might lose our only chance" Lieutenant said, keeping his posture straight with arms entwined behind his back.

"Admiral Karath!" another Officer addressed him. "The Republic fleet is on the run. If we push now, they won't be able to gather enough reinforcements and the Core Worlds will be ours to take. What's your command, Admiral? We're waiting for orders."

It took him a full minute to make a decision.

"Very well. We shall rendezvous with them. Lieutenant" he addressed the first man who delivered him the news. The man straightened his posture even more if that was possible. "Set the course to Zeltros System." He received a nod and the Lieutenant walked away.

"We're giving up on them?" the Officer asked, clearly not believing his ears.

"The Core Worlds can wait" Saul replied, walking closer to the viewport. He watched as the stars blurred into the all too familiar blueness of the hyperspace. "There is much more important prey to catch right now."

* * *

"What are you doing?!" Revan yelled as he reached the center of the Ebon Hawk. His worst nightmare just came to life. A message was sent from the Ebon Hawk. And, just as he worried, it was Juhani who did it. She was standing at the holoprojector, pressing on numerous buttons.

"I'm doing what I should have done earlier" she replied with her broken common language. "You are a threat and you must be stopped" she hissed at him.

A temptation to kill her where she stood was almost too overwhelming and Revan nearly gave himself to that, but he knew he had no time to waste. The events were set in motion and he couldn't stop them now. All he could do was to avoid them somehow.

"Wolf!" he yelled, heading towards the cockpit. He would deal with Juhani later. " Wolf! Bring us out from the hyperspace, now!" he yelled. Unluckily for him, the two pilots were too surprised with his command to act.

And that's when hell began.

The Ebon Hawk shook, bringing everyone who was standing down on the floor. The normal blueness of the hyperspace turned back to the black abyss of empty space. Though the ship wasn't peacefully floating as it should have been.

It was being dragged by something.

"What happened?! What's going on?!" Bastila asked worryingly after entering the cockpit right after Revan did.

"Sith interdictor ship" Carth replied as he checked out the scanners. "They must have been waiting for us on the hyperspace route. We're caught in their tractor beam."

Revan turned around to see Juhani making her way to the cockpit, as well as the rest of their crew. If the looks could kill, the Cathar woman should have been long dead.

"Do you recognize the ship?" Bastila queried.

"It was above Taris when we were running away, as well as one year ago above Telos IV. I would recognize this ship anywhere, anytime. It's the _Leviathan_ " Carth replied as he gave up on the consoles that refused to listen to him. "Saul Karath's vessel. My old mentor" he trailed off, leaning back in his seat, crossing arms over his chest.

"I think I've told you to lock the ship's communicators, Wolfie," Revan said, his voice emanating with anger. A cough was what came out from his mouth next.

"And I did" the pilot replied. "Only recently they were unlocked."

"And you were supposed to keep an eye on our little rat" Revan spat, looking at Juhani. His eyes have long since turned gold.

The pilot had no response to that.

"Block the communicators? Rat? What's going on here?!" Carth demanded an answer with unusually powerful tone.

"It means that we're in our current position because of her" Revan replied, pointing at the Cathar woman. "Tell me, why shouldn't I kill you right now?"

"Kill her? Are you mad? You're a Jedi, as well as she is. Why would she be a reason for us to be caught by the Sith?!" Carth asked, clearly not understanding what was going on.

"Because she's a Jedi" Revan replied hatefully. "A puppet in the Masters' hands, doing their every wish without thinking, just as most of their pathetic Order. And people tend to say that it's me who's following the Dark Side blindly."

"The Dark Side?" This time it was Mission who joined the conversation. "What are you talking about?! From what I know, you were a soldier in the Republic's Navy. Only recently you became a Jedi so how could you have ever followed the Dark Side?"

"Exactly. How could you, _Alen?_ " Juhani asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Revan's glare hardened even more.

"How dare you even address me with pretensions?!" he yelled at her. "It's your fault we're in here right now. If only you have used that brain of yours, just a little, then we wouldn't be in our current situation. You brought the damnation upon us, you fool."

"Just as you have done to countless worlds" she replied, surprisingly standing her ground.

"What are you two talking about, for fuck's sake?!" Carth yelled again.

 _Don't do anything stupid, please,_ Bastila begged Revan through their Bond. He turned to her, only to see a worried expression on her face. These words and Bastila's expression seemed to work magic on Revan.

"HK!" Revan yelled, heading back towards the center of the Ebon Hawk. Some sort of plan began to make its way towards his mind.

"Statement: HK-47 is ready to serve, master. Query: Is there someone that you need killed, master?" the rusty droid asked with something that sounded like a hint of hope in his voice.

"We were pulled out from the hyperspace not without reason" Revan began as he saw others making their way towards the center of the ship. "They are aware who is on board. They know that I, Bastila, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie are here. Juhani stated in her mind that it sounds like a good idea to send a message from the Ebon Hawk, making us detectable by the sensors just as if we had flown right in front of the viewport of their capital ship. They know the purpose of our mission, and they know that we have only one last Star Map to find. No matter how much we'd like to…" he was interrupted by a loud cough that came out from his lungs. He covered his mouth with his hand and when he pulled it away, his eyes widened as he noticed the blood. He wiped it against his clothes. "As I was saying, no matter how much we'd like to, we cannot fight the entire ship. My current condition wouldn't allow me to do that. Our only hope is to somehow escape from _Leviathan_. And that's where you come in, HK" he said addressing the droid.

"Statement: My electrical conduit is sparkling with anticipation, master. Query: Who must I kill?"

"Your primary task, HK, will be to release us" Revan replied. The droid let out something that resembled a disappointed huff. "But that doesn't mean you can't kill on your way towards us" he added. On this, the droid's eyes glimmered with anticipation. "Use whatever means necessary to reach the prison block."

"Statement: It will be my pleasure, master."

"Saul's no fool and he won't underestimate us either. You can count on plenty guards watching every move we make."

"Clarification: Plenty of meatbags who are existing only to become my preys."

"Ever optimistic, aren't you, HK?" Revan asked with a chuckle. "As I said, they know who is on the ship, but at the same time, they are not aware of how many of us there are on board exactly. Mission" he addressed the blue Twi'lek. "They most likely don't know you're on board. Hide below the deck and wait for us to return."

"What?!" she exclaimed, fully enraged. "There's no way you'll be leaving me behind like a little girl!"

"It's for your safety, Mission!" Revan snapped back at her. "Don't you understand it?! I don't want you to hide because I think you would be of no use for us. I want you to hide because you'll be in danger. And no one will be able to rescue you, not even Zaalbar." The Wookiee let out a roar of disagreement to Revan's statement. "We're going to be captured by soldiers who haven't seen a woman for I don't know how long. And seeing you, a young Twi'lek girl, defenseless and…"

"I'm not defenseless!" she snapped at him, stamping.

"Will you shut up and listen to me?!" Revan yelled at her, clearly surprising her. "Once we're off this ship, every one of us is defenseless, including you. And trust me, they'll have no second thoughts before using you. And this will mark your whole life, giving you a wound that won't heal." His voice softened now. "I want you to hide because I don't want anything bad happens to you, Mission. You've proven yourself skillful and worthy on Manaan but now is not the case. So please, listen to me."

"Okay, fine" she snapped, a little angrily.

"HK," he said addressing the droid once again. "Our lives are in your hands now. And their lives must end today."

"Statement: I will not let you down, master."

"You never did."

"Hold on!" Carth yelled. "They're dragging us into the docking bridge!"

 _We'll get out of here alive, I promise you_ , Revan said to Bastila through their Bond to calm her and partially to calm himself.

 _I hope you're right_ , Bastila replied, trying to calm her shaking breathing.

What neither of them knew was that this promise was pretty much like the one Revan gave her before setting off to fight back the Mandalorians. This promise would be impossible for him to keep.

* * *

"Admiral Karath" the Lieutenant approached the elder man. "Our prisoners are safely locked down in the prison block. What are your orders?"

"Let them get used to the cells they're in. They won't be getting outside soon, after all."

"Begin the procedure," the Lieutenant said to the communicator that was located on his wrist. "Shouldn't we inform Lord Malak?"

"Later, Lieutenant" Karath replied, cleaning the invisible dust from his uniform. "We wouldn't want to deliver him the fake news, would we?" Lieutenant shook his head. "I'll speak with the prisoners first and if they indeed are those who we've been looking for, then we shall contact Lord Malak." Karath turned around to start making his way towards the prison block. "Oh, one more thing," he said, stopping in his trucks. The Lieutenant straightened himself again. "If this all goes really well, you can be sure of your preferment, Lieutenant Ulgo." The said Lieutenant bowed deeply after hearing this.

* * *

"Commander!" a Sith soldier shouted, calling the person who was standing at the far end of the corridor. "Commander," he repeated, this time quieter, because the distance between them was closed. "What shall I do with that piece of junk?" he asked, mentioning to the turned off HK-47 that few other soldiers have been carrying here all the way from the hangar.

"And what is it?" the Sith Commander asked.

"Apparently some sort of prototype war droid. Amateur work if I did say so myself. But it stacks up when it comes to fighting. This unit has killed almost twenty of our best men before we were able to turn it off."

"Then it's not that amateur work, is it?"

"What shall I do with it?"

"Carry it where the rest of the droid garbage is. We'll think on this one later. We have far more important guests on our deck right now."

"Can it be? I've heard the rumors but I was skeptical as to believe them. Is the one we captured really _him?_ "

"That's something we're not sure yet, soldier" the Commander replied, signaling that it wasn't the topic of the talk. "Have you searched the ship thoroughly?" he asked, changing the topic. "Admiral Karath warned me to be on alert for any kind of treachery."

"We scanned the ship thrice and we found nothing suspicious, Commander."

"Are you sure?"

"As of this that I'm seeing you right now, Commander. There's nothing, nor no one on board."

* * *

"It's for nothing, Carth" Fox said as he was watching the Republic pilot struggling with the securities of his cell. "You can't overcome it."

"At least I'm trying to do something, not like Alen," he said, pushing against the electrical wall again, only to be pushed back by the strength of the voltage. Everyone was there in the cell. Everyone, excluding Mission, HK-47, and T3-M4.

"I'm trying to release us" Revan replied. He was sitting in his cell with his legs crossed and eyes closed. His hands were resting carefully on his knees. The only moves that were coming from him were the contractions of the muscles on his face.

"How? By sitting there?" Carth asked, infuriated to no end. "Your plan failed, HK is caught. And now we'll have to wait here for Malak to come for us!"

"HK has never failed me" Revan replied calmly without changing his pose.

"It's hardly surprising, considering that you have this droid for how long? Two days?" Carth snapped at him. Revan said nothing to that.

Revan opened his eyes in unison with Bastila who was remaining motionless until this moment. Only one word escaped her mouth.

"Dantooine" she whispered delicately. Her eyes were filled with tears as the full meaning of what she felt dawned on her.

"I felt it too," Revan said, not changing his pose.

"What have you felt?" Carth snapped at them, all the while infuriated.

"Dantooine… It's… no more" Bastila replied. Tears ran down her cheeks freely.

"What?"

"Malak stroke at Dantooine" Revan replied with his calm tone. "The Enclave, the Council, the local inhabitants are now dead."

"Isn't there anything sacred for that monster?!" Carth exclaimed, punching his cell wall only to be stroke by the electricity charge again.

"There is a way to stop him," Revan said, opening his eyes. "We must get off this ship and find the last Star Map. Then, it will be only a matter of time before we face Malak."

"And what brilliant idea do you have on how to get out of here?"

"As for now, I'd rather focus on Admiral" Revan replied, looking carefully at the door to the prison block.

As if on cue, the doors opened with the hiss, revealing Saul Karath with his personal escort of soldiers.

"Hello, Carth," he said after noticing the Republic pilot. The man sent daggers at him with his glare. His eyes then drifted to the Jedi who was sitting on the floor of his cell. "So the rumors have been true," he noticed, addressing the words more to himself than to anyone specific.

"Hello, Saul" Revan replied, not bothering to stand up.

* * *

 **Okay, guys that were it for today. I know that this chapter was faaaaaar too farfetched and cliché, but, unfortunately, I didn't come up with an idea for something better, ehhh. I'm disappointed with this chapter just as you are, so at least we suffered through it together XD. So I ask you for forgiveness because I'm just a beginner in writing and I hope for your merciful hearts :D. And in one of the earliest chapters, I made a suggestion that Trask was the one who pulled out the Endar Spire from the hyperspace above Taris, so I just had to make a good use of that idea. The idea was good, but the performance… well, it sucked XD Just like the most of this chapter XD. So, once again, I apologize, and I'm counting on your forbearance. See you most probably in this week ;).**


	42. Chapter 41

**Hello, hello! Thank you all for over 40000 views :D. Sorry for the delay, but again… school… Anyway, here is the chapter. Leave like, follow it and write a comment ;).**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 41

"Thank you, Masters, for your quick arrival," Atris said as all members of the Council entered the chamber. "I haven't gathered you without reason. Vrook knows where exactly Revan currently is." This caused the surprised looks and few whispers to occur amongst the Jedi Masters.

"I know where he's heading," Vrook said, gaining the attention of the Council members. "And I know where he can be killed, once and for all."

"Are you at this again?" Vandar asked, receiving a hateful but carefully hidden, glance from both Atris and Vrook. "How long are we going to debate about him? What makes you think he poses any kind of threat towards us?"

"His existence is the threat for the Council, as well as the Order itself" Vrook replied in his usual harsh tone. "What happened to the Exile is the perfect example of what he is able to bring down upon us all."

"What happened to the Exile has nothing to do with Revan. If anyone, we are to be blamed for that. We should have helped her and not cast her out."

"I agree with Master Vandar" Nomi Sunrider spoke. It was the first time anyone took Vandar's side.

"She made the mistake of following Revan to war. The war that brought nothing but destruction and suffering. Every one of us could feel it in her. She was carrying the echo of the death within herself."

"She gave up willingly to us. We should have helped her, not banish her."

"We should have made an example of her and that's exactly what we did, Master Vandar" Atris replied, implying that this was not the matter the Council gathered for.

"Revan is heading towards Korriban" Vrook continued after receiving a nod from Atris to go on. "I'm going to rendezvous with him on the Sith Planet and hopefully put, once and for all, an end to the threat he is. But I need one of you to come with me."

"Too old to face a young Jedi?" Vandar commented without thinking, what happened to him extremely rarely. Perhaps Revan's method of dealing with the old Master would prove successful?

"Remember your place, Master Vandar" Atris hissed at the small Jedi.

"I'll go with Master Vrook" Kavar announced. "What happened to Meetra is his fault and I will avenge my apprentice."

"Vengeance is not the way of the Jedi" Lonna Vash interjected. "Don't forget our Code, Master Kavar. I think Vandar is right. We should have helped the Exile. Revan had no part in it."

"He is responsible for the death of hundreds if not thousands of Jedi!" Atris exclaimed. "He is responsible for bringing suffering to the innocent worlds of the Republic. Telos IV burned under the fire of his ships. And his teachings have not been forgotten. Malak has just done the exact same thing to Dantooine. The entire world has been wiped out from the face of the Galaxy!"

"What happened to Telos was not Revan's fault. It's commonly known across the Galaxy who ordered the bombardment. It's really intriguing how selective you are, Atris when it comes to receiving facts."

"Even if the bombardment of Telos wasn't his direct order, it is his fault that he didn't stop his apprentice form doing it" the Grandmaster replied casually.

"Master Vandar" Vrook spoke. "You know I keep you in high regards and never have I despised your advice, but we have no other option. Revan must be dealt with, once and for all."

"Tell me, old friend" Vandar replied, trying to keep the same friendly, yet fully faked tone. "What caused you to hate Revan so much? You despised him since his early years as an apprentice. What's the reason behind it? Ah…" he trailed off as his eyes widened in realization. "You blame him for what his parents did twenty years ago. In killing him you want to find the relief after the loss you've encountered on Mandalore. You blame him for her death."

"That's enough, Master Vandar!" Vrook exclaimed, slightly too loud. But Vandar's words fulfilled their task. They revealed Vrook's hatred. His reaction has only confirmed it.

"I think it's settled then" Atris announced, looking at the rest of the Council who remained silent during the entire meeting. "Revan must and will be dealt with. He proved himself too dangerous to be kept alive numerous times. Master Vrook and Master Kavar will set out to Korriban to face him. May the Force be with you, Masters."

With that, the meeting was over. Vandar smirked slightly while leaving the Council chambers. Revan was aware of Vrook going after him so he wasn't worried about the young Jedi. He knew he could handle Vrook easily. But that wasn't the reason for his happiness. He felt happy because he was able to convince someone else, at least partially, to his reasons. The fact that Lonna Vash agreed with him made him closer to convincing the rest of the Masters. This filled him with a hope that perhaps the Order wasn't heading towards its end.

* * *

"I never expected to see you again" Saul said, coming closer to the cell where Revan was sitting. "I thought that the guns of _Leviathan_ had done their job. But apparently not."

"What are you talking about, Saul" Carth asked; a pure rage was visible in his eyes. "Our last encounter was above Telos IV and from what I remember, we had you on the run."

"I'm not speaking about you, Carth. I'm speaking of him" he said pointing towards Revan. "When Calo Nord brought to us the message that you've survived, we hardly believed it. Lord Malak was furious when he found out."

"And why is he so important? He's just a common Republic soldier" Carth retorted, once again attempting to break the securities of the cell.

"You mean you don't know?" Saul asked with a laugh. "You didn't tell them?"

"Those who were supposed to know, knew" Revan replied, looking at the Admiral with a scowl.

"And later you're surprised how easy it is for people to betray you? If you're not telling anything to anyone, how can you be surprised?" Saul huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't believe I used to follow you. Look at yourself! You're a shadow of your former self. Lord Malak was right to replace you."

Revan knew perfectly well what the Admiral meant. The poison took its toll on him, strongly affecting his look. He was dressed only in some pants he was wearing usually, what made his chest visible to everyone. The blackness managed to spread already through his entire right breast, creating a netting pattern. Same thing was happening around his eyes. Dark bags have already passed his cheekbones and reached the middle of his cheeks. His hair, usually pulled back and gelled, was now a mess. It covered his eyes almost entirely now.

To top it up, the neural disruptor that was wrapped around his neck was weakening, even more, his power of will, making it more and more difficult for him to fight the poison back.

Saul's last words did their job and something finally clicked inside Carth's mind. His eyes widened in shock and then filled with anger, directed at one person.

"You" he hissed at Revan, casting his eyes filled with hatred at him. The man smirked, not saying anything.

"Drop it, Carth" Bastila said immediately, trying to calm him. "This is not the time for that."

"And you knew about it all the time!"

"Of course I knew" Bastila replied with a hiss. "I led the strike team that was supposed to capture Darth Revan… to capture him" she added, looking at Revan who was sitting in his cage, barely paying attention to them.

"And you, Mandalorian" Karath now addressed Canderous, ignoring Carth who kept on complaining. "Even you are following him? After everything he had done to your people?"

"He's the only one I would follow" Canderous replied, subconsciously straightening himself, trying to maintain some of his pride. The Admiral snapped at that.

"And you're absolutely okay with the fact that he's responsible for the genocide of your people" Karath commented. "Now, I shouldn't be surprised to see you with him, should I?" he said, turning to Rex, Fox, and Wolfie who were kept in the cages next to each other.

"Of course you shouldn't" Fox replied. "We can't be killed so easily. You should have known it by now."

"Yeah," Karath said, turning back to the Republic pilot. "You see, Carth. You accuse me of breaking my vows while you've been blindly following the man responsible for all of us turning against the Republic. Furthermore, you've been fighting alongside those who are responsible for capturing hundreds of Jedi and delivering them into our hands. This is an information for you as well, Bastila."

"What are you talking about?" she queried, afraid to know the answer.

"Ah, so you don't know? These men" he said, pointing at Rex, Fox, and Wolfie. "Are responsible for capturing countless Jedi during this war. They were assigned to this task by Darth Revan himself."

"Shut up, Saul," Revan said, breaking his silence.

"Or what? You're an adult, aren't you? I think it's time for you to learn how to take the responsibility for your actions. If you wonder, young Jedi, where many of your friends from the Order disappeared, ask those who are directly responsible for that."

"Rev" Bastila murmured quietly, looking at her husband. The only reply she received was a blank look from the man in the cell. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears. Of course, she knew about the Jedi going missing during the war. She's lost one of her friends due to those captivations. Yet she refused to believe it was Revan's doing. Especially when they reunited.

"You have nothing to say?" Karath asked with amusement. "That's interesting. Usually, you're the last one to go silent. But perhaps I know the way to make you speak." He nodded at the soldier who was standing next to the computer terminal.

Immediately, the room was filled with Bastila's screams of pain. Her cage erupted with lightning; volts coursing through her body, causing a lot of damage. Her screams were interrupted as the voltage was making her voiceless. Revan's eyes turned the deepest shade of gold ever. Yet he did nothing. He could do nothing. He could only watch.

Bastila's torture didn't last very long, though. After few seconds or so, Karath nodded at the same soldier as before. He turned off the voltage immediately, releasing the young Jedi from her suffering. Revan's gaze that was now filled with hatred rested upon Admiral.

"You think you can intimidate me?" he asked, coming closer to Revan. "I served under your command for quite some time, you know. I am aware that nothing can torture you more than watching those you care about suffer. Do you know how something like this is called? Weakness" Admiral said with a cocky smile. "I used to admire you for your strength and your durability, but you became weak. Or… perhaps she made you weak?" he asked, looking at Bastila. At the same time, her cage unleashed the deadly voltage at her once again.

Yet all Revan could do was watch.

"I used to shiver beneath those golden eyes of yours" Karath kept on, while Bastila continued to scream. "But I don't anymore. Without your Force, you are nothing. You cannot harm me in any way, nor can you save her" he added with a smile. "Accept it. You have lost." With that, he turned away and motioned at the soldier. The voltage erupted now in all cages, knocking unconscious most of the prisoners. "Inform Lord Malak about who we've managed to capture. I'm sure he will be most pleased."

Admiral left the mostly unconscious crew of the Ebon Hawk guarded only by a contingent of soldiers.

But no numbers, no matter how big, could stop Revan.

Saul Karath was right. Without the Force, Revan was nothing. Or at least in his current situation. Without the connection to the omnipresent Force, he would not be able to set himself and his companions free. But there was one mistake the Admiral made. One he would not see as his fault. Unknowingly, he gave Revan a leverage. The leverage he would use to reclaim his connection to the Force.

The former Dark Lord clenched his teeth in pain as the voltage from the cage coursed through his wounded body. To top it off, the voltage from the neural disruptor that remained wrapped around his neck kept on damaging the flesh of his neck, making it even more difficult for him to breathe.

But he would not back down. Not now. He managed to break the neural disruptor once in his past and he knew he was able to do it again. And seeing Bastila tortured allowed him to gather enough of his willpower to begin.

He knew what she was thinking about him right now. After all, Saul revealed who was responsible for the large numbers of Jedi missing. He tortured Bastila, and Revan did nothing to stop him.

But he would avenge her pain.

Admiral's words and deeds allowed Revan to gather his anger. The wild, untamed anger that burned inside of every living being in the Galaxy. He used it before to set himself free from the Mandalorians' hands above Malachor V. He only had to…

There! There it was, on the edge of his mind, waiting for him to seize for it and take it. Even with the neural disruptor around his neck that kept on shocking him with electricity, he could feel it. Faint, but nevertheless it was there. The hatred he promised himself not to use. But he had no other choice. He knew that HK was capable of releasing them, but he would not wait for his droid to come and rescue him, no. Admiral went too far. And he had to pay the price for that.

Revan winced as the neural disruptor kept on attacking him, trying to prevent him from concentrating. The skin around his neck has long since turned deep red from the constant voltage, but he kept on trying. He knew he could do it. He knew he had to do it.

His connection to the Force returned slightly, allowing him to probe Bastila's mind. She was laying in her cage, knocked unconscious. Her mind though kept on going through the received information. Her love for Revan was seriously wounded by Admiral's words. It only fueled his anger even more.

His lungs seemed to be on fire as he refused to cough. There was no time for that. Malak was informed and he had to release them as soon as possible.

He could feel yet another familiar presence on board of the _Leviathan_. The one that he grew so used to above Taris. It belonged to the man responsible for the ambush. He knew who has pulled them out from the hyperspace that day. He went through that scenario over and over again in his mind and it always led to one conclusion. Trask betrayed them back then. And the fact that he was on the _Leviathan_ meant he would pay for that. Revan would see to it.

His anger was rising steadily. It wasn't strong enough yet to allow him to set free, but it was growing. Revan could feed upon the anger of others in order to fuel his own one. And that's exactly what his current state allowed for now. He could sense Malak approaching rapidly, making hundreds of thousands of kilometers per second with his fleet. He could sense the anger in his former apprentice. And he used it, as best as he could, to fuel his own one.

He was so close to achieving his goal right now. He could almost use the Force freely now. Just a few more painful moments, filled with being shocked with electricity and…

There! It clicked! He fully regained his connection to the Force. Now he was able to feel everyone in the room and on the ship. And most of all, he could grasp the neural disruptor with the Force now.

His lips curled up into a vicious smile. Carefully, he opened his eyes while at the same time embracing the device around his neck. Feeling every electrical conduit inside it, he focused himself on it, ripping the metal thing in half. It fell to the floor with a loud clank.

The sudden noise caught the attention of the guards who walked deeper into the prison block to investigate it. Revan's smile grew wider. Shutting down the securities of his cell, he leaped to the air, floating above the four soldiers and landed behind their backs.

They turned around, clearly surprised by it. The last thing they saw was Revan's vicious smile and then the storm of Force Lightning consumed them, burning them to the crisp inside of their metal armors.

Revan was free. And he was up for vengeance.

* * *

 **Now that's it for today. I know that it's shorter than usual but I'm planning to make the next one slightly longer. And I have some good news guys. This story is approaching the end rapidly! And what I mean by that is that only around eight more chapters I've got left to write and I will announce 'Price of the Sacrifice' officially finished! And, hopefully, in the beginning of the next year I'll publish the sequel, so make sure to follow me as the writer to not miss it ;). See you next time!  
**


	43. Chapter 42

**Replying to the comment: JourneyRocks13 I get it that you wanted no one to be captured but how I did this will make this story more dramatic and that's what I'm aiming for. After all, this is the war, isn't it? In later chapters, you will find out why it was important for me to make things happen the way they did. And I'm sorry for a delay but currently I'm not passing this semester (I'm threatened from 3 school subjects XD) but fortunately, I've managed to find some time to sit down to it. And I hope I'll make amends to you by the length of this chapter. Also, after receiving a few 'one-sided' opinions about the first few chapters of this story, I think I will rewrite them somehow in order to make them more presumable but I can't promise anything.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 42

"Get up!" Revan said angrily. After dispatching the Sith soldiers he moved on to the securities of the rest of the cages. The crew of the Ebon Hawk was still semi-conscious after being electrocuted. Revan walked up to them, pulling each one up roughly. The anger he used to set himself free didn't subside in the least. If anything, it has only escalated.

Not being forced to focus himself anymore he allowed himself to cough violently. After being held back for so long, the cough lasted for a solid minute before it began to calm down. When his breathing returned to normal he found himself directly in front of Bastila, facing her. The effect of the electrical torture was still visible on her as she was shaking every now and then but her overall appearance, combined with the painful look in her eyes said one thing: betrayal. It was written all over her face and Revan could see it clearly. She felt betrayed by him. Again.

"Let's move on," he said, deciding not to talk to her about it now. They had much more serious matter at hand which was escaping the _Leviathan_. "Wolf, Rex, you know the layout of the ship. Lead the others to the Ebon Hawk. I and Fox will storm the bridge. We'll have to disable their tractor beams if we want to escape. We'll rendezvous with you in the hangar."

"I'm coming with you," Bastila said immediately, leaving no place for arguments. Revan looked at her sternly but nodded in agreement.

"You must be messed up to think I'll take any orders from you!" Carth yelled, picking himself up after the imprisonment. "I should shove the bullet in between your eyes here and now!"

"Just try it" Rex dared him while reloading a blaster rifle that he took from the soldier's corpse.

"Face it, Carth" Revan replied, trying to contain himself. His eyes were still sickly yellow. "You are outnumbered. You can kill me now and try to solve how to escape or trust me, pocket your own pride and leave the _Leviathan_. But take into account that if you kill me, you won't survive the escape." As if in confirmation of his words, Rex, Fox, and Wolfie stood behind him, indicating who they were loyal to.

"I won't leave you for a split second" the pilot warned. "Whatever you'll do, I'll be there, watching you."

"Save your anger for Karath" Revan replied. "I did nothing that affected you personally. It was Malak and Saul who led the bombardment of Telos. My hands are clear in that matter."

"Resigned statement:" Everyone almost jumped up after hearing HK-47 speaking behind their backs. "Ah, Master, you've left nothing for me." One corner of Revan's lips curled up slightly.

"I apologize, HK, but I couldn't simply wait for you. I believe you had fun"

"Affirmation: Oh yes indeed, Master. There used to be plenty of meatbags out there but I found a better purpose for their pathetic existences. They proved to be the amazing shooting targets. It's a pity they were of a one-time use." Revan laughed slightly at that.

"Go with the others to the hangar, HK."

"Objection: Master, long ago I've learned that being in your company guarantees the most fun. I insist to go with you."

"No, HK. The fewer of us have a bigger chance of getting to the bridge quickly. And trust me, you'll have fun if you go with the others to the hangar. Our ship is heavily guarded and you know what it means." HK's eyes glimmered after hearing this.

"Commentary: This should be fun." With that, the droid walked out form the prison block; clanking of the heavy footsteps was what remained after him.

"What are you waiting for?" Revan asked the others. "Go to the hangar! I want to leave this ship as soon as possible."

They didn't need to be told twice. After gathering their belongings, they walked out from their cell, making their way through the prison block. On their way, they encountered many Sith corpses – the remnants of HK's path towards their cell. The crew of the Ebon Hawk passed countless cells – full or empty – and none of them paid any attention to the prisoners despite the fact that they were trying to get the group to release them. But one of the prisoners, though, stroke a chord with Revan. It made him stop in his tracks.

Inside was laying an unconscious man. It was as clear as day that he went through a lot. But Revan recognized this man. He wasn't someone easy to forget. This and the fact that this man was working for him.

The man was Atton Rand, nicknamed Jaq.

"Hold on," Revan said to the group. "Looks like we've got someone here."

"Jaq?" Rex asked after the cell's security was turned off; it took him a few solid moments to recognize him. The man did not respond in any way.

"Wake up, assassin," Revan said, kicking him slightly in the side. This caused Atton to move slightly. "Wake up" Revan repeated, escalating his words with the Force. This achieved the intended effect.

"Wha… what do you want again?" Atton mumbled.

"I want you to get up, murderer" Revan replied. Atton lifted his head to look at the man who said that. His eyes widened in shock.

"No, it's impossible" he mumbled, shaking his head. "I must be still under the influence of something. You are dead."

"Keep saying that" Revan replied with a small smile. "Many would want me to be that way. Rex" he addressed his soldier. "Take Atton with you to the Ebon Hawk. Make sure he receives the medical treatment as soon as possible."

"It will be done" Rex replied. "Help me to get him up," he said to Canderous. The two proceeded to pick up the still semi-conscious Atton. They put his hands on their shoulders, keeping him between them. This way they dragged him from the prison cell. After leaving the prison block, the group parted ways. The most of the crew of the Ebon Hawk followed HK whose footsteps were still clearly hearable in the empty corridor.

"Come on," Revan said to the three who remained with him. "We haven't much time."

"Revan," Bastila said quietly, addressing her husband. He stopped in his tracks, allowing Fox and Carth to pass him. Revan's soldier was on the lead as he knew the layout of the ship perfectly well.

"Bastila" he replied, trying to keep his voice as peaceful as possible. The anger was still dwelling inside of him. She reached out with her hand to rest it on his face. Her fingers touched his left cheek, just beneath his eye that was still sickly yellow. He brushed off her hand.

"We'll talk later," he said, doing his best to make the anger in his voice undetectable. "Hurry up. The sooner we get off this ship, the better."

Bastila said nothing to this. She could only comply. So she followed her husband and the two soldiers. It was still difficult for her to fully comprehend what has happened back in the prison block. She knew that Revan wasn't guiltless during his time as the Dark Lord. She was fully aware that even if Telos IV wasn't his order, the conquer of the other planets along the Outer and Inner Rim was his responsibility. But she refused to believe that he was responsible for the countless Jedi disappearing from the Order.

She heard what was happening to those captured by the Sith. The technique called 'One Week' became well known amongst the Republic and the Jedi Order. There were few Padawans who managed to escape from the Sith or were simply released just to scare others off. Pointless to say that it worked.

"The bridge is that way," Revan said, pointing towards the corridor in front of them. They've already caught up with Carth and Fox.

"We won't be able to walk through this corridor," Fox said. "The Sith patrols are larger here than anywhere else on the ship. The main power conduit is placed in this area."

"And this is exactly why we must go this way" Revan countered. "If we shut down the conduit, the Intel staff won't be able to track us down."

"And we'll inform them that we've escaped."

"Do you have a better plan, then?" Revan asked, slightly annoyed.

"We could always use the airshafts." Revan smiled at that.

"That could work."

* * *

"Admiral! Admiral!"

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"We've received a distressed signal from the prison block. It appears that some of our prisoners have managed to escape from their cells."

"What?!" Admiral yelled angrily. "Put on the security camera records, now!"

The Intel Officer clicked quickly few buttons on the computer terminal. In the result, the screen showed the live footage of the prison block. Saul glanced through the different camera images, sacrificing only a split second to check the prisoners. In his hurry, he passed the image of the cells that now were empty but should be filled. He quickly pressed the opposite button that returned the camera image to the previous one. What he saw terrified him to the very bone.

"Shut down all the corridors" Saul ordered. "Double the patrols, send all the soldiers you can and the Dark Jedi! We must find them at all cost! If we don't, Lord Malak will surely be… disappointed with us and I'm pretty sure that it's something none of us would want to happen."

"Admiral?"

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"The main hangar is under heavy attack. It appears we've found our missing prisoners." Admiral breathed out with a relief.

"Do we have the live footage from the hangar?"

"Yes, Admiral. We have checked already how many are leading the attack. There is six of them, a man dragged by the others and two droids.

Admiral paled visibly. _Six,_ he repeated in his mind. That meant that four of the group wasn't with them. And if they weren't heading for the hangar, then…

"Seal the bridge" Admiral said quietly.

"Admiral?"

"Seal the bridge, now!" Karath yelled. He had all rights to be scared. Only when Revan was under the influence of the neural disruptor and locked in the cage, the Admiral did not fear him. He wasn't a coward but he wasn't also a fool. Everyone sane at least respected Revan for his many abilities and Saul was amongst these people. Which is why now he was more terrified than ever in his life.

* * *

"Why do we always have to go through the air shaft?" Bastila queried, not directing her question to anyone particularly.

"Ask the Dark Lord" Carth replied as they were climbing the narrow shaft, nullifying the sheet metal sound with the Force. Revan pretended to ignore Carth's hateful tone. Since they escaped from the prison block, Carth continued to make some astringent comments concerning Revan's past. Considering the seriousness of the situation they found themselves in, such thing was highly immature.

"This was a necessity on Taris and I find this way of traveling entertaining" Revan replied, struggling to say this as the physical effort combined with a cough that threatened to take his breathing away were taking their toll on him. Bastila huffed after hearing this, as much as she could.

"And how do you know which way to go?" Carth asked; the suspicion was as clear as day in his voice.

"I've designed this ship," Revan said plainly. "I've designed the ships, the starfighters, the soldiers' armors. Pretty much everything."

No one said anything after that. Their path through the air shaft would have been long since noticed if Bastila and Revan didn't use the Force to nullify the sounds of the sheet metal. Thanks to this, they were able to move through the ship without attracting the attention of the patrols. It was exhausting, of course, but Revan was sure that with the current level of his breathing problems, he wouldn't be able to fight for a long time. Defeating the neural disruptor was difficult enough for him in his current state, let alone fighting.

"I think it's here," Fox said after a dozen or so minutes of traveling.

"Are you sure?" Revan asked one of his most trusted soldiers.

"In eighty percent" Fox replied, rubbing his forehead. "I'm pretty sure that this shaft was leading towards the bridge level and I think we've reached it already."

"Well, let's see then," Revan said, taking his lightsaber from his belt. Igniting the red lightsaber, he pierced it through the thin layer of the sheet metal, cutting the hole large enough for a man to fit in it.

Luckily, or with the help of the Force, it turned out to be their destination. They managed to pass most of the soldiers, what didn't mean that the corridors that were leading to the bridge remained unguarded. Though what Revan recalled from his time as the Dark Lord that the corridors around the bridge weren't so heavily protected.

"Come out," he said to the rest of their small team after leaving the air shaft. Revan was currently standing in the empty, dimly lit corridor. Recalling all the knowledge he had about the Interdictor-class cruisers, he tried to locate their position on the ship and which way they had to go to reach the bridge.

"Your assumption was correct," Revan said to Fox, patting him lightly on the shoulder. "This is the bridge level."

"Good to know" he replied, taking the two blaster rifles from Carth who was now trying to get out off the air shaft what, after over one hundred and fifty meters of climbing, wasn't an easy task. After putting the weapons aside, Fox helped the pilot to get into the corridor.

The last one was Bastila. Revan helped her to get out as Carth was picking himself up after the physical effort, cracking few bones in his spine as well as in his neck. Bastila gladly accepted the hand that was pulled out in her direction. With Revan's help, she managed to get out from the air shaft and proceeded to stretch her pained arms and legs.

"Lead the way, my Lord" Carth said in a mocking tone, reloading his twin pistols.

"With pleasure, Onasi" Revan replied, taking first few steps in the direction on the left from the air shaft. "Be careful. Patrols are much smaller and rarer here than anywhere else in the ship but we can still jump into one."

"And why is that?" Bastila queried.

"Most of the soldiers are located at the base of the ship's tower" Revan replied, satisfying her curiosity. "It is like that simply because there is allegedly only one way to the bridge – the lift. By placing several dozen patrols around the lift entrance, one can be sure that the way to the bridge is secured. Also with this tactic the spare patrols can reinforce other in case of the assault on the ship or create an impregnable shield, giving those on the bridge the necessary time to escape."

"And how could they escape if they don't head for the hangar?"

"There is an additional room with the escape pods right next to the bridge. Those pods are reserved only for the bridge's staff. Thanks to this solution, my men were able to abandon the bridge when you carried the assault on my ship above the Sernpidal."

This satisfied Bastila's curiosity for now and she spoke no more. They walked through the empty corridor in silence.

Their way towards the bridge turned out to be much less problematic than they expected. Encountering only a few lonely soldiers, they were able to make their way towards their destination rather quickly.

"The door is sealed from the inside" Fox stated the obvious.

"Which means that Admiral is aware of our prison break. Step away" Revan said to the others while unclipping his two lightsabers from his belt. Igniting both blades simultaneously, he proceeded to cut his way through the thick durasteel door. It turned out to be easier said than done. The material was durable and thick, having the gage of six inches and Revan's strength was disappearing quickly. Despite that, he managed to cut a circular like opening in the door.

Focusing himself, he pulled back his right arm and pushed it against the cut out piece of the door, escalating the push with the Force. This caused the metallic part to fly deep into the bridge.

Revan and his companions found themselves now facing the entire battalion of soldiers with their blaster rifles pointed directly at them. Karath was standing in front of them with few Dark Jedi on both his sides.

"I must admit you've surprised me," the Admiral said. "But perhaps my expectations were too high. The neural disruptors rarely are able to withhold a Jedi. But it doesn't matter now. Lord Malak is only a several dozen light years away from us. I give you a choice: surrender now and perhaps we'll show you mercy."

"I've already seen enough of Sith mercy" Carth spat through his clenched teeth. The Admiral shook his head.

"You have no idea what you're talking about. Compared to Lord Malak, I'm like a father disciplining a naughty child."

"And you seem to forget that Malak used to be my apprentice," Revan said, stepping forward. "He knows everything from me but he doesn't know everything I know" he added with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter now" Karath replied, showing more confidence than he felt. "Even if you kill me now, you won't make it out of the _Leviathan_ in time. Lord Malak is closer with each passing minute."

"I'll gladly finish him off once I'm done with you, traitor," Revan said, reigniting his lightsabers. The blue and red sabers sprung to life with a characteristic hiss. In the response, Saul's guards ignited their own weapons. "Deal with the others. The traitor is mine."

Accelerating his movements with the Force, Revan dashed directly ahead, heading straight towards Saul. The Dark Jedi reacted immediately, positioning themselves between the former Dark Lord and the Admiral.

In the beginning, Revan thought they would be relatively easy opponents. Though the reality turned out to be completely different. The long climb from the prison block to the bridge level, combined with the Rakghoul venom spreading throughout his blood circulation system took a heavy toll on him. Even with the Force, his moves were sluggish, inconsiderate. His physical strength was failing him as well. An attack that just a few months ago he would be able to block without any effort now sent him backward a few steps.

It didn't help that he had to fight multiple opponents as well.

Crossing his lightsabers above his head in order to block a strike from above, he failed to notice a powerful jab that was sent towards his left side. This knocked the air out of Revan's lungs. He managed to roll sideways before the jab was followed by the lightsaber.

He had little time to adjust to his current situation as the lightsaber strikes kept on coming from each side, making him back down. He made a common mistake of underestimating his opponents. By working in unison, they proved to be excellent duelists.

The fact that he had to admit it angered him even more. Trying to change the angle in which he held his lightsabers, he managed to deflect few powerful blows that could have easily decapitated him. Revan leaped over a horizontal strike that was aimed at his waist and kicked one of his opponents directly in the hooded face. It sent his enemy few steps backward. The Dark Jedi pressed his free hand to his nose; the blood was sipping through his fingers as he was struggling to stem the bleeding.

He had no idea how he managed to dodge the next strike. It came immediately after he landed on the bridge's floor and, just like the previous one, it could have cut him in half. But faster than the eye could notice, he bent backward, driven with the Force that told him what to do at that particular moment. It happened so quickly but at the same time so slowly. Revan's eyes haven't abandoned the red lightsaber for a split second as it passed only mere centimeters away from his nose. He felt the blood thumping in his ears as well as the heat of his enemy's weapon.

Going into the bridge position, he pushed himself from the floor with the Force, landing good few meters away from his opponents. This gave him time to reset and to better prepare himself mentally for the continuation of the combat.

Jumping into the Ataru form, Revan dashed at his enemies once again, focusing this time on their weaknesses. Something like this was exposing him as well, as he was trying to notice any form of a repeatable mistake in his opponents' fighting styles while at the same time delivering his own attacks.

He found the first weakness. One of his opponents had a rather simple fighting style. Of course, combined with the other Dark Jedi, it wasn't as miserable as it would be in the one-to-one duel. Namely, he was attacking in a very simple scheme: he was dealing strikes each time from the alternate side. It could be effective against the enemy with only one lightsaber as it forced out a quick reaction from the fighter and if one does anything in a hurry, it's easier for him to make a mistake.

But Revan was not the one to make such foolish mistakes. In fact, he was the one to exploit them. Keeping away the rest of the attacks with his red lightsaber, he focused his blue one on that particular Dark Jedi. It was risky, of course; he could feel his strength evaporating in an appalling velocity. But he wouldn't just give up. He once fought under much tougher conditions; on the bridge of Mandalore's flagship after a month of custody and he won. He was more than capable of handling a few Dark Jedi.

Sending the Force Wave in each direction, he managed to gather enough time to focus on his chosen target. In a quick movement of his wrist, he pushed aside the lightsaber of his opponent and pinned it to the ground. As a result, his opponent was defenseless. Not for long, perhaps, but for long enough to give Revan the upper hand. He brought his red lightsaber to the height of the ribcage and pushed it forward. It pierced directly through the Dark Jedi's chest, coming out on the other side, killing him instantly. Now only four remained.

The first kill broke the spell. The Dark Jedi doubled their efforts, trying to get past the Revan's defenses. But it proved to be useless. Even if he managed to kill only one, it still made it easier for him to defend himself.

Carth, Bastila, and Fox were doing well in the fight against the bridge's crew. Fortunately for them, most of the Dark Jedi were focused on Revan, leaving the common soldiers to them. Karath was standing behind, safely hidden behind the wall made out of the staff of the _Leviathan_ ' _s_ bridge. Every now and then he was firing single shots in a futile attempt to catch one of them by surprise. Even though he was a brilliant Admiral and at least extraordinary tactician, he was a rather pathetic shooter and none of the shots were even close to hitting them.

Revan was doing well in fighting off the Dark Jedi. The second one was laying already on the floor with a hole in his forehead from which the smoke was coming. Only three remained.

Revan's lungs were burning from the inside. Or at least that's what he felt. Each passing second seemed to be like an hour without breathing even if his lungs continued on their work. But it was impossible for air to work properly in his body. His breath was too short for the oxygen to get fully into his blood circulation system. He had to finish that fight quickly. Even with Force, he couldn't go on like that for not knowing how long. Sooner or later he would suffocate.

Revan parried another blow that was quickly followed by the attack in the form of Force Lightning. It wasn't as powerful as the one he or Malak could create. The former Dark Lord had no problem with absorbing it with his lightsaber. His blade flashed when the Force Lightening hit it. Revan then deflected the attack back at the Dark Jedi. Apparently, he didn't expect things to turn out that way because the only reaction he came up with was a fear filling his eyes. The same fear paralyzed his body and he seemed just to accept the fact that his time was over. He landed on the floor with a large gash on his chest and the electricity coursing through his body.

Two-to-one was something Revan could handle easily. Especially that with their numbers decreasing, the Dark Jedi were losing their confidence. They could only try to defend themselves as Revan continued to deal a blow after blow. They were unable to come up with any sort of attack as the former Dark Lord's strikes kept on pushing them backward.

Keeping his blue lightsaber parallel to his forearm, Revan pushed the two Dark Jedi backward, while at the same time continuing to attack with his red one. The strength behind those blows turned out to be too big for his opponents as one of his strikes managed to get past the blockade. The red blade dived into the body of the Dark Jedi and he fell lifelessly to the ground, leaving his partner in an unfair duel one-to-one against Revan.

It was a childish play now. His one last opponent was too inexperienced to last at least few seconds in a combat against Revan. Especially while having only one lightsaber against two.

This one has fallen even quicker than the rest. One swift blow precipitated the blade out of his hand and left him defenseless. Revan's lightsabers swiftly cut the Dark Jedi in half, guarantying a quick death. That's the least he deserved.

The fight on the _Leviathan's_ bridge was over as well. Only one person of the bridge's crew was left alive. Admiral Saul Karath. He was now in the kneeling position, unarmed, with his hands behind his head. Fox and Carth were standing next to him with their blasters ready while Bastila was standing few feet away, clearly not wanting to witness the execution of the defenseless man. _Ironic,_ Revan thought, recalling his own trial in the Council's chambers.

"Traitors always get what they deserve," Revan said hoarsely. Karath smirked.

"If so, then I hope to see you in hell" he replied with a spit. Revan said nothing to that. He ignited his red lightsaber in order to decapitate the Admiral.

His plan was interrupted, though. Literally, a second before his blade met Saul's neck, the Admiral fell dead to the floor with a burning hole between his eyes. Revan looked up to see Carth holding his pistol at the spot where Karath's head was previously; the steam was coming out of the pistol's barrel. Revan cast daggers at the Republic pilot with his eyes. The man smirked in the response.

"Don't try to intimidate me. Saul's death was my responsibility and I wouldn't give the pleasure of finishing him off to anyone."

"You made a mistake by disobeying me" Revan commented. Carth huffed.

"Will you kill me then?"

Revan wanted to reply but the coughing that erupted in his lungs stronger than ever made it impossible for him. His eyes glazed over as he was trying to get rid of the excretion that was making it impossible for him to breathe properly.

"Don't suffocate, my Lord" Carth said in a mocking tone.

"Fuck you, Onasi" Revan replied, spitting on the floor. His saliva was mostly filled with blood. "Fox, disable the hangar's securities and the tractor beam." The soldier nodded his head and proceeded to do numerous things in the computer terminal.

"Done" he reported after less than a minute.

"Let's go," Revan said, heading towards the exit of the bridge. "Malak is closer and closer with each passing moment." They all nodded in agreement and left the bridge, running towards the elevator.

"We get to the hangar, escape the _Leviathan_ and then what?" Bastila asked as they reached the lift.

"We must get to Korriban" Revan replied. "The last Star Map is located in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Sith Lords. Then we make the straight jump to the Lehon System."

"That's where the Star Forge is?" Revan nodded in affirmation. "And can't we just download the data from the ship's computer? It should have had the reports of all of the hyperspace jumps."

"There is only one problem" Revan replied. "When I designed the Interdictor-class cruisers I've ordered the Intel department to install a highly professional security system. The ships are not keeping the hyperspace data in the storage so in case of hijacking the ship becomes useless."

"How do they make the way back to the Star Forge, then?"

"It's based on the ARP protocol" Revan replied. Seeing Bastila's confused gaze he proceeded to explain. "To simplify: the ship sends a frame that contains a broadcast destined address with a question. The Star Forge receives the frame and sends the similar one but with a unicast destined address and an answer instead of the question. Based on the answer, the ship's systems set the coordinates to the system where the Star Forge is."

"Such exchange of signals would take far too long for it to work properly" Carth commented.

"The Star Forge is something we still don't understand fully" Fox replied. "It can create full armadas out of thin air. Sending single frames at the speeds of yottabits per second is nothing extraordinary."

"We're on the command deck" Revan announced. "Let's move on."

They left the lift and hurried in the direction of the docking bay. On their way, they encountered a few Sith soldiers. They decapitated them on the run, trying not to waste time in the pointless combats.

The group of four swiftly made it through the command deck and found themselves in another elevator. This one was supposed to carry them straight towards the hangar. Their destination was already so close.

"Do you copy? I repeat: do you copy?" Revan's personal communicator came to life.

"This is Revan. I copy. Can you hear me?" he replied.

"I can hear you well. It's Canderous" the person on the other side of the communicator said. "We took care of the guards. We're inside the Ebon Hawk and all systems are ready to go. As soon as you guys join us we can get out of here."

"We're in the docking bay already" Revan replied. "We should be in no time."

"Then we wait for you. Canderous over and out."

"Come on, we're close," Revan said to them and they all proceeded to run towards the hangar.

They were interrupted rather quickly, though. They continued to run through the empty corridor; each passing second was getting them closer and closer to their destination and so they lowered their awareness. After some time, Revan and Bastila have figured out what was going wrong but it was far too late.

On the far end of the corridor was standing none other than Malak, not allowing them to make it to the hangar.

"Darth Malak," Bastila said with a slight tremble in her voice.

"Down you go!" Carth yelled and fired a few shots at him, though they were reflected with ease. Malak pushed Carth down to the floor with the Force; the Republic pilot could do nothing to resist.

"Ah, yet another traitorous scum," Revan said with a smile, coming forward. "I don't know what makes me laugh more. Those stupid tattoos of yours on your bald head, your lack of jaw or HK calling you meatbag."

It angered Malak, Revan could see it. The current Dark Lord tried to do with Revan what he did with Carth, though this time his effort gave no results.

"Calo Nord reported seeing you and your loyal pets on Taris. I couldn't deny that I've felt your presence on that pathetic planet that day. But even now I can hardly believe my eyes… tell me, why did the Jedi spare you? Is it vengeance you seek at this reunion?"

"Yeah, I guess so" Revan replied casually, though hatred was as clear as day in his eyes. "You have no idea how often I've been going through and through different scenarios in my head; each one was ended with your death."

"You're right as to one thing, Revan. Our encounter will end with blood but it will be your blood!" Malak yelled, putting in stasis field Revan's companions.

Revan rushed at the man who used to be his closest friend for the better part of his life with both of his lightsabers ignited. Malak turned on his own weapon, preparing to parry Revan's upcoming attack.

The two met halfway, colliding their lightsabers in a fair duel. The weapons hummed as they clashed with each other.

Revan and Malak exchanged blows after blows, both refused to back down under the ferocity of the attack of the other one. Their strikes were escalated with the Force, though these proved to be to no avail.

"You must be proud of me, Revan," Malak said between the attacks; his prosthetic jaw allowed him to speak freely even while breathing heavily. "I saw the opportunity and I seized it, just as you taught me. I've learned about the strike team that boarded your vessel. In that moment I saw my chance to wipe out all of my enemies in a single glorious day. But somehow, you survived. I guess it is because of Bastila. After all, who would even try to save your life? When I ordered Saul to begin firing on your ship, I encountered no resistance and even officiousness. You lost the respect of your soldiers long before you lost your mantle of the Dark Lord. And no one from the Republic would agree to keep you alive. Only this stupid child who persuaded herself to think there is an emotional link between the two you. I wonder, who is the bigger liar here? You or her? After all, you don't know what love is; your parents died like dogs on that remote planet and Bastila was taken away from her family with nothing but hatred towards them. Maybe that's why you're attracted to each other? Because both of you are emotionally disabled."

Malak's words were only stoking the anger that kept on dwelling inside of Revan. His attacks were becoming stronger and faster and as the result, his strength continued to evaporate faster and faster with each passing moment. Now not only his lungs but also his muscles were screaming because of lack of the oxygen.

"I must admit one thing, Revan" Malak continued to speak as they were exchanging blows. "Your method of one week works very efficiently. In the beginning, I considered it to be too long, but now, with me as the Dark Lord, it brings much better effects than previously. I've added a certain thing to your methods, though. Specifically, I allow my men to relax a little with our guests. During the war times, it's very important to provide soldiers with some sort of fun. Pointless to say that it works hundreds of times better than your original methods of breaking the Jedi prisoners. I wonder, how long will it take me to break Bastila once I'm done with you."

Revan charged at him again with his anger reaching completely new levels. He knew Malak and he could be sure of one thing: his former apprentice never wasted words. Especially when it came to making threats. He was very conscientious in carrying them out. And that's exactly what fueled not only his anger but also his fear, fear for Bastila. He couldn't allow Malak to carry out his threats. He simply couldn't.

"You think you can win, Revan. But I can feel your strength disappearing rapidly. You can't go on for as long as you used to. And don't think I can't sense that poison in your body. I feel it coursing through you, killing you from the inside. You won't last for long. But I won't kill you, no. That would be far too simple. You crippled me physically, I'll cripple you mentally. I'll let you watch as I break Bastila. She will be close to you, but far beyond your reach. And once the one week passes, I won't just kill you, no. I'll make her kill you. In the beginning, she will be eager to do so. And later, after few years, she will realize what she has done and her own pangs of conscience will drive her mad and eventually, she'll end up killing herself but not before I get my turn with her. I must admit she's grown up into a gorgeous woman. Makes me wonder how she looks without her robes."

Those words did their job and Revan did the worst thing at the worst time possible.

He allowed his anger to take the full control of his actions.

As the result, Malak was able to outmaneuver Revan. Stepping aside, he allowed his opponent's lightsabers to hit void, making him lose his balance. With a powerful punch into the back and the lightsaber in the ribcage, Malak brought Revan to his knees.

"But I can't just simply leave you unharmed, can I?" Malak asked rhetorically. "How did it go? An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth?" He brought his lightsaber to Revan's face. "You'll see how it is to bleed out due to the lack of a body part."

Revan looked up at his former best friend. His eyes were glazed over and his breathing was coming in short intakes. With each breathing out, blood was coming out of his mouth.

"Don't look at me like that, Revan. You knew that this day would come. You knew that we would be given a fair one-to-one duel. As we can see, I'm the Master here. Now, I'll teach you your first lesson!"

Malak hauled off and would have probably ended cutting off Revan's lower jaw if it wasn't for one thing: the yellow lightsaber that flew through the air and clashed against Malak's blade. The sudden impact made the Dark Lord of the Sith to back down a little. Soon the lightsaber returned to its owner as Bastila defeated the distance between them with a Force Leap. The Dark Lord of the Sith found himself now on the receiving end.

Malak was surprised by the ferocity of her attacks – they turned out to be equal to Revan's own strikes – precise and deadly.

Revan couldn't comprehend what was happening around him. His eyes were looking but he didn't see. His ears were listening but he didn't hear. Suddenly, he felt a pair of strong arms under his armpits that were lifting him up.

"I'll hold Malak off!" Bastila shouted to them while being engaged in a duel with the Dark Lord of the Sith. "Fox, get him out of here! Find the Star Forge!" The soldier nodded in agreement, dragging the semi-conscious Revan out.

"No, Bastila, he's too strong!" Carth yelled, but his effort was to no avail. Bastila used the Force to push them out of the corridor and seal the door behind her; only the sounds of lightsabers clashing with each other were coming out from there.

"Bastila" Revan whispered. It was the last thing he remembered before the poison, exhaustion, and blood that was gathering in his right lung and partially sipping outside his body took their toll on him and knocked him unconscious.

* * *

 **That's it for today! That's why I was needing that poison! The game's explanation on why Revan lost against Malak on _Leviathan_ would just not work in this case so I had to figure something out and I hope that you enjoyed it. And the ARP protocol is something I have in school and it works a little differently than what I've written but it was just my variation XD. Leave a review, because I'd really love to know what the rest of you think about my story (especially those who write comments rarely), follow the story and add it to your favorites if you haven't done it yet and see you next time (probably in the next few days)!**


	44. Chapter 43

**Hello, hello! As always, I'm asking for reviews because a really small amount of you is writing those comments and I really appreciate every single one of them.  
**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 43

The first thing Revan felt after retrieving his consciousness was the pain. A throbbing pain coursing through his entire body that was escalating in the area of his chest.

After waiting for few moments for the pain to subside, he opened slowly his eyes, risking a glance at his surroundings.

It was a mistake.

The world around him spun violently, making him shut his eyes. He tried to calm down the spinning by taking in a few deep breaths. He risked taking yet another glance.

This time, though, the effect was much better. Nothing was spinning so violently around him anymore and that was certainly a good sign. Revan was able to distinguish the details of his sleeping quarters on the Ebon Hawk. Pressing the fabric beneath him, he realized that he was in bed. He took a few more calming breaths before trying something that could turn out terribly wrong for him.

He tried to get up.

First, Revan tried to move up on the bed, supporting himself on his elbows. His chest, the right part specifically, was screaming in pain. He clenched his teeth and pushed himself almost to the sitting position, ignoring the loud protest from his body. His arms were trembling as he was struggling to get himself into a full sitting position, aiming to rest his back against the wall.

He ended up panting heavily. Such simple action as that one took away all of his strength and left him breathless. But Revan was sure that it would go by. He used to recover from many injuries and the worst were the first few moments after waking up. Later, as the time was passing by and he was trying to do more and more complex activities, all the symptoms were disappearing.

Looking down at his body, he saw a large bandage wrapped around his torso. It looked fresh, though the part that covered his right breast had a circular stain, most probably left there by his blood. He could clearly feel that the source of his pain was covered under that stain.

It took him a while to calm his breathing and recover some of his strength but nevertheless, he managed to do so. It cost him yet another few deep breaths to gather himself and to do something many would not dare to do in his current state.

He tried to get up from the bed.

As soon as Revan rested the weight of his body fully on his legs, the world around him started spinning violently again. He used the nearby wall for support, resting his hand on it. He brought his second palm to his temples as if in a futile attempt to make the spinning stop. It took a second or so but the area around him has finally calmed. He risked a step forward.

Never before did Revan have such troubles with retrieving his strength as now. His leg collapsed when he rested the entire weight of his body only on one limb. It was difficult for him to keep on walking, but he kept on trying. With his hand against the wall, he continued to limp towards the exit of his sleeping quarters.

The first thing that he noticed after walking into the corridors of the Ebon Hawk was how silent it was. Not only was it silent – he couldn't sense anyone as well. Mission's usual cheerful attitude and her chattering were absent. Similarly the never-ending argument between HK and T3. The two droids fell into a habit of arguing about anything; usually, HK being the one who started it. It amused Revan how human-like the droids have become after spending so much time with them. But their metallic voices weren't there. The ship was deadly silent.

He walked into the main part of the Ebon Hawk. The holoprojector was turned off; as for once, no one was using it.

Revan's thoughts were interrupted when a cough forced him to bend forward. He rested his hand on the holoprojector for the support as he continued to cough violently. Just as back on _Leviathan_ , also now he ended up spitting blood. This entire action would make him scream in pain if it wasn't for the coughing that forbade it.

It took Revan a while to get over it, but eventually, he was able to straighten himself back up.

"Onasi" Revan spoke with a small smile. He didn't have to use the Force or to turn around to know it was the Republic pilot. After all, who could be so stupid as to take an aim at him from behind.

"What I said on _Leviathan_ is still accurate," he said. "I should shove the bullet into your head here and now!"

"Oh, you can try it," Revan said, still not turning around. "But, if I were you, I would watch my back"

Carth would be puzzled by that if he didn't feel a blaster rifle against his own head. The Republic pilot risked taking a look behind himself. It was Rex.

"And just as what I said back on _Leviathan_ is still accurate" Revan mimicked him. "You're outnumbered. You kill me now and you end up with a bullet in your occipital bone and the Galaxy burns under Malak's assault. Or, you can pocket your own pride, kick yourself in the ass and follow my lead."

"I recommend choosing the second option," Rex said, taking a better aim.

"Even if I end up with a bullet in my head, I won't just simply let go such an occasion" Carth replied, taking a better aim as well. "Millions if not billions will be grateful to me for killing you."

"And the entire Galaxy will be cursing the one who killed me. You won't be able to stop Malak. The Star Forge is too well fortified and can deliver an infinite supply of resources." He turned around slowly what caused Carth to reinforce his grip on the blaster pistol.

"You killed my family," he said with a trembling voice. "You turned my homeworld into nothing. I don't care what will happen if I kill you. I only know that I will die a peaceful death, knowing that I avenged Telos."

"And here we go again, Onasi," Revan said, still using his left hand to support against the holoprojector. "I think you are the most shortsighted and ignorant person in the Galaxy, second only to the Jedi Council." Slowly, the rest of the crew was making their way to the interior of the Ebon Hawk. "I haven't killed your family nor have I bombarded Telos. As you know, it was Saul Karath who, as I might remind you, you have killed on the bridge of the _Leviathan_. He did it out of Malak's order who was also punished for that."

"Like how? I saw him on the _Leviathan_ safe and sound!"

"Safe and sound you say? Haven't you ever wondered how Malak has lost his jaw? I'll tell you how. I took it away from him for disobedience. I cut it off with my own lightsaber and watched him bleed out beneath my feet. Perhaps it wasn't a fitting penalty, but I will make him pay with his life for everything he had done. But in order to do so, I must live a little bit longer so I would be immensely grateful if you lower down your weapon."

"And I would recommend you to hurry up," Rex said, pushing Carth slightly at the back of his head with the barrel.

"You are the Republic soldier," Carth said, addressing the man behind him. "You are supposed to be loyal to the Republic!"

"The Republic?" Rex asked with a small chuckle. "I used to be loyal to it, just as Fox and Wolfie. But these times are long gone now."

"Why?" was all Carth could cough up.

"Because we're loyal to Revan and to Revan alone." Fox. "He led us to victory after victory in the Mandalorian Wars and later in the Jedi Civil War as well. We pledged ourselves to him and we fight for those who he fights for. If he's on the Republic side, we are as well. If he is against, so are we."

"Traitors" Carth spat out. Rex, Fox, and Wolfie chuckled at that.

"Not traitors." Wolfie. "We vowed to be on Revan's side until the end of our lives. And so we are keeping that vow."

"Put down your weapon, Carth." This caught everyone's interest since it wasn't any manly voice, no. It was Mission.

"Are you mad?! The Sith have destroyed Taris, your homeworld!"

"Yes, the Sith, but I see none in here, Carth" the blue Twi'lek replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "All I see is a friend who helped me more than anyone on Taris. He helped me to move on after it was destroyed, he made sure that I remain safe when we were pulled out from the hyperspace. Even if he used to be Darth Revan, I don't see the Dark Lord in front of me, I see the friend who's been with us through thick and thin!"

"As you see, Carth, there are people who can trust me, and that's all I'm asking for. You don't have to fight for me. I only ask you to trust my judgment, as countless have."

The Republic pilot had an inner turmoil going on inside of his head, it was as clear as day. Revan continued to speak as he saw that Carth wasn't coming up with any reply.

"If this comforts you somehow, I can assure you that your son is not dead." This caused Carth to look at him with bewilderment. "Your son has survived the destruction of Telos IV."

"Dustil" Carth muttered on the edge of tears.

"If you trust me, I will return him to you. But, as I've said, you must trust me."

This seemed to break the spell as Carth lowered his pistol. Rex did likewise.

"Now, how long have I been out?" Revan queried, looking at the rest of the crew.

"Six days" Rex replied, putting aside the blaster rifle.

"Six days" Revan repeated quietly. "That's far too long. Doesn't matter now. Set the course to the Lehon System" he said and proceeded to leave the room. He stopped in his tracks when no one moved. "Are you deaf? Set the course to the Lehon System, right now!"

"There is a problem, though," Rex said, moving his feet nervously.

"What problem?" Revan queried; his irritation was growing fast.

"We haven't been to Korriban, yet" Fox replied. "We don't have the last Star Map."

"What? You mean you've wasted six fucking days?!" Revan yelled, returning to the gathered crew.

"We were waiting for you to retrieve your consciousness," Fox said in a self-defense.

"And why the hell?!" he yelled again. "You've been previously to the Naga Sadow's tomb. You know exactly how to get past the securities. You know perfectly well how to reach the Star Map, so why haven't you done it, for fuck's sake?!" The silence was the only response he received. "You're bloody idiots! You should have stopped waiting for me to recover after one day! And now Bastila is in Malak's hands for six days already! We could have saved her by now, but no, you had to act like fucking imbeciles and do nothing for six days!" He would have continued to yell at them if it wasn't for a cough that erupted in his chest again. Rex and Fox hurried to him, lifting him up as the coughing made him bow down again.

"There is a reason why we were waiting for those six days," Fox said when Revan's coughing subsided. "We've noticed the poison in your body a long time ago and now we took our time to examine you."

"The venom that's coursing through your veins is a pretty nasty one," Jolee said, joining the conversation. "The Rakghoul poison is something that we still can't fully understand as it is something that appeared relatively not long time ago and we still don't have full information on how it behaves. Apparently, it can mutate."

"That's something I found out in the Jedi archives on Dantooine" Revan replied, sitting at the holoprojector. "You haven't surprised me with that."

Jolee shook his head. "I didn't mean that it can mutate the infected one but that it can mutate itself in the one's body. And that's exactly your case."

"What?" Revan asked quietly, not fully comprehending what he's just heard.

"The venom that you acquired back on Taris has mutated inside you" Fox explained. "Apparently, your immune system was fighting for far too long and so the poison has adapted and overcame this obstacle. Instead of turning your human cells into the Rakghoul cells, it's killing them."

"What do you mean?"

"The poison is not going for the change anymore. It's going for the kill" Jolee clarified. "The blackness in your veins shows the progress of the venom. This was the main reason why that coughing appeared. Your right lung is already dead, eaten by the poison."

"What's worse, we can't find a way to stop it," Wolfie said. "We've only managed to slow down its progress temporarily, by putting a thickener into your blood. It will slow down the venom's assault, but it will also affect your physical abilities as your blood is not coursing through your body at its normal speed."

"How much time do I have?"

"Difficult to say" Rex replied. "Few days, or so. The thickener will slow it down only that much. We can't put any more of it into your body since we've already crossed the permitted dose."

"Is there nothing I can do about it?" Revan queried. He would have laughed if it wasn't such serious matter. Defeated by poison, who would have guessed?

"From the medical point of view, no, there is nothing you can do. We know nothing about this type of mutation and since its undetectable in the Force, you can't just get rid of it" Fox replied. "There is a chance, though, a minor one. More like our guess, but it may actually work."

"And what is that?"

"Your armor was capable of protecting you from injuries and even heal you from ones. We suspect that the same technology can erase the poison from your body and reverse the damages it caused."

"My armor was destroyed" Revan replied, comprehending what he just heard.

"But the Star Forge wasn't" Fox countered. "If you retake control over the Star Forge, there is a chance that it will be able to heal you, but you have to hurry. The thickener will soon disappear from your blood circulation system and then the poison will strike again with full strength and we won't be able to repeat what we did. As Rex said, we've already crossed the permitted dose."

"Where are we even?" Revan asked, changing the topic.

"On the station above Yavin IV," Rex replied. "It was the safest place we could go to while still remaining on our way to Korriban. If we jump into the hyperspace now, we should reach that planet in an hour or so." Revan shook his head.

"Nevertheless we've lost too much time. I'm sure that all of you weren't watching over me for the past few days. You should have set the course to Korriban and few of you should have gone for the Star Map. And now we lost six days." There was no anger in his voice anymore, only resignation. "Bastila is in Malak's hands for six days now."

"But we'll rescue her, won't we?" Mission queried, ever optimistic. "I mean, he won't kill her. We still can recapture her." Revan shook his head again.

"While you are correct when it comes to Malak not killing her, you are wrong if it comes to saving her now."

"What do you mean?"

"If we went for the last Star Map immediately after escaping the _Leviathan_ , we might have been able to save her. But now, after six days when we don't have the Star Forge's exact coordinates, she is beyond saving. Back when I was the Dark Lord, I've created a way of converting the captured Jedi to my side. With time it earned the name of One Week."

"But Malak won't turn her, will he? I mean, she's one of the strongest Jedi in the Order." Again, Revan shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. With this technique, we were able to turn even the most resisting Jedi Knights and Bastila is still just a Padawan. It doesn't matter how long she will be fighting, eventually, she will fall. For the first three days, Malak would be torturing her physically. For most of the time, it would be a Force Lightning as it is the easiest way to deliver pain. But he wouldn't stop just at that. He hates me for what I've done to him in the past and he will use Bastila as a vengeance on me. He knows that she's close to me and he'll exploit it to the fullest. While I was forbidding my men to rape our prisoners, Malak wouldn't withhold from that. He would do anything to torture her, including raping her. As the proverb says, a sound mind in a sound body. Those three days are supposed to break one's physical resilience. When it's done, turning one to the Dark Side is a childish play."

"For the next three days, our captive is to be put through the mental torture. There are dark techniques in the Force that allow delivering nightmares. The victim doesn't know anymore what's the reality and what is just the mind's projection. Bastila would also be exposed to the influence of the Sith Holocrons. The ancient spirits contained inside of them will make her question the Jedi ways. She'll begin doubting the Code and will be finding more and more sense in the teachings of the Sith. Her mind will be waging an inner war between the Light and the Dark Side of the Force."

"The last day is the worst, however. It is then that the captive gets what he wanted since the beginning: freedom. Or rather a taste of it. We were always making sure that the securities were lower on the seventh day. The neural disruptors are weaker, the guards less accurate in their job. In the seventh day, the captive can feel the Force again. After six days of being blind to it, it's like receiving a bucket of water on the dessert. Bastila will be able to set herself free. She will get past the guards and make her way to the way out. Then, when she will see the world outside her prison, Malak will be waiting for her, standing directly in between her and her freedom, surrounded by dozens upon dozens of other Dark Jedi. Driven by the despair, Bastila won't hesitate to use anything in order to defeat him. But she will fail. Six days of constant tortures make it impossible for one to fight for long. Malak will crush her, urging her to reach for the Dark Side that kept on building inside of her since the beginning of her imprisonment. But it won't be enough. She will lose against him. It will be her final lecture; after willingly reaching for the Dark Side, there is nothing one can do to resist it. Once Malak beats her in the single combat, her downfall will be complete."

No one dared to say anything. Rex, Fox, Wolfie, and Atton were already familiar with this technique so its description didn't affect them so much. But the others were horrified. Of course, there were a few Jedi who were released by Revan in his time as the Dark Lord in order to tell the tale about his methods, but no one was willing to believe them. But now, hearing it directly from the source, seeing Revan's expression as he was describing specifically what will happen to Bastila, made them change their minds.

It took Revan a solid two minutes to get over it. When he did, his previous anger returned with full strength, turning his eyes gold.

"And it's all because of you" he spat through his clenched teeth, looking directly at Juhani who was speechless at that moment. Revan's description made her lose her words. "It is because of you that we were pulled out from the hyperspace. It is because of you that Malak was able to capture Bastila. It is because of you that tomorrow she will be turned to the Dark Side!"

"Revan, I…" she tried to say something but he quickly silenced her, catching her in the Force Choke.

"No, there is nothing you can say now to justify yourself. I gave you a second chance on Dantooine. I could have killed you right there and I should have done it. You were fully aware of what you were doing when you were sending the message to Coruscant." Juhani's face turned red as she was struggling to release herself from the invisible hold. "I let you live once and I won't make the same mistake again."

"What?! Revan, no!" Jolee interjected, trying to make Revan lessen his grip on Juhani.

"Shut up, old man!" Revan snapped at him, pushing him at the further wall of the ship. "Don't intermeddle unless you want to share her fate." Eventually, Revan released Juhani, causing her to fall on the floor of the Ebon Hawk, struggling to breathe. "HK" the former Dark Lord called for his favorite killing machine. "You can have your fun with her. I don't want to see her on this ship anymore."

"Gleeful statement: Thank you, Master. Commentary: This should be fun."

Before Juhani could say or do anything, she was dragged out from the ship, being pulled by HK who was holding her by her ponytail. It was the last time the crew of the Ebon Hawk ever saw the Cathar Jedi.

"What are you waiting for?" Revan asked, looking at the others gathered around him. "Start the engines and set the course to Korriban. Once HK returns to the ship, we leave this place."

He wasn't waiting for anyone of them to reply. He returned to his quarters, indicating that their talk was over. Soon, he felt the Ebon Hawk's engines springing to life. He sat on the bed in which he was sleeping for the past six days.

He was surprised when something issued a familiar sound. He stood up and looked what it was. His entire anger has vanished, replaced with a despair.

The object that created that sound was a teddy bear that he gave Bastila in her early days in the Jedi Order.

He picked it up and traced his fingers alongside its features. His eyes returned to the normal green color and glazed over.

 _I'm coming for you, Bas. Hold on,_ he said more to himself. He knew that Bastila at this point wasn't able to hear him. In fact, there was nothing he could do now, other than wait. Wait to reach the Korriban and then wait to reach the Star Forge.

But by then, the Bastila he knew would be dead.

* * *

 **Hey, hey that's it for today! Let me know what you thought about this chapter by leaving a comment and see you soon!**


	45. Chapter 44

**Merry Christmas, everyone! I wish you God's blessing for each day of your lives and that you spend these Holidays in a family vibe. Everything the best and the New Year's wishes will come in the next chapters XD.  
**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 44

"HK, Canderous, and Rex will go with me" Revan announced when they dropped out from the hyperspace. The crew of the Ebon Hawk was gathered around the holoprojector that was now turned on and was displaying their destination – Korriban. The tension on the ship was almost unbearable. Revan zoomed in one sector of the planet they were heading to. "The Star Map is located in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Sith Lords," he said pointing to the blue hologram.

"The Valley is also a part of the Sith Academy here on Korriban" Fox observed. "Wouldn't it be wiser to take someone else with you? It's dangerous to go in small numbers."

"The four of us will manage" Revan replied. "Besides, you have to watch over Atton – he still hasn't fully recovered yet." He paused, looking at Carth. "And I want to be sure that I'll have a ship to come back to" he added, gazing directly at the Republic pilot.

With that, he turned off the holoprojector and dismissed the gathered crew. Everyone, except for those he assigned to accompany him, returned to their quarters or found for themselves some other activities. The usually relaxed ambiance of the Ebon Hawk was now replaced with tension; after the events on the station above Yavin IV, no one dared to do nor say anything.

While the Ebon Hawk was on its way towards Korriban, Revan used that time to somehow prepare himself. He spent that hour and a half on meditating, trying to center and focus himself. He failed at that. No matter how hard he tried to find peace, he could have none of it. His thoughts kept on returning to Bastila. Each time he tried to achieve balance, he could feel the pain, anger, and hatred. But not his own.

He didn't know if it was due to the fact that the seventh day has begun or simply because he was extremely sensitized to Bastila, but he could feel her inner turmoil. Just as he feared, her downfall was certain. The tortures and the Sith teachings took their toll on her mind like the poison that kept on dwelling inside of him. He especially could feel her hatred pointed at… him. Malak has succeeded in turning Bastila against Revan; he knew that his former apprentice would do such thing.

And this is how he found himself now, standing directly in front of the loading ramp of the Ebon Hawk, waiting for the ship to make its way towards their destination. Rex, Canderous, and HK were already with him, anticipating the arrival.

"Drop us down in the Valley" Revan ordered Wolfie through his communicator. "Don't land anywhere near the academy. You should be able to find some other safe space to put down the Ebon Hawk."

"Copy that. We will be approaching the Valley shortly. Prepare for the jump."

It didn't take them long to reach their destination. Soon, the loading ramp was opened, allowing the Korriban's air inside. Revan, Rex, and Canderous instinctively covered their faces in order to protect themselves from the strong wind.

"Leave no one alive" Revan gave his last orders before jumping down from the Ebon Hawk. "This planet serves as the graveyard so let's take care that it lives up to this status." Putting on his mask, Revan ran down the loading ramp and jumped to the planet's surface from approximately one and a half kilometer; the three of his companions following him closely behind.

It didn't take him long to reach the surface. He landed with grace and with both of his lightsabers already ignited in his hands. Rex, Canderous, and HK-47 landed behind him, using the jetpacks that they found in the cargo hold of the Ebon Hawk to bring themselves safely to the ground.

It all happened in a blink of an eye.

The first of the Sith archeologists who were working around in the Valley had no idea what struck them down; they were killed instantly by Revan's precise cuts. Most of them fell where they were standing or kneeling, with their working tools still in their hands. Even though they noticed him jumping from the ship, they had no time to react as he swiftly cut them down.

* * *

They felt it. An echo through the Force. It was a particularly loud one, given the fact that they were on the planet that emanated with the Dark Side. It was almost impossible for anything to break through it.

And yet it happened. Something has broken through the Korriban's aura. Vrook and Kavar looked at each other, not saying anything. They didn't have to. They were fully aware of what that echo meant.

Revan came to Korriban.

* * *

As Revan continued to strike people down, more and more kept coming, fueling his anger. The distressed signal was quickly sent to the academy and to Dreashdae, asking for reinforcements. And so they came, surrounding the group of four.

Yet none of them could complain.

Fighting while being outnumbered was like a wet dream for all of them. After years spent on wars, a good fight was something they always enjoyed. But even though Revan had no time to waste, he wasn't going to abandon his men in the middle of the fight. Which is why he continued to move away from the tomb of Naga Sadow, striking down those who dared to come close to him.

He could see it in their eyes – fear and it was the righteous one. His mask was commonly known across the Galaxy and it always brought fear to those who were fighting against him. Now was no different.

At first, his enemies seemed to not believe that it was him. After all, both Malak and the Republic leaders did their best to assure the Galaxy that he was dead. And they succeeded. The result was that the inhabitants of the Sith Academy were eager to fight him; perhaps because they were furious that some imposter dared to personate Darth Revan.

The first one to challenge him was Uthar Wynn – the Headmaster of the Sith Academy on Korriban. Revan remembered him from his time as the Dark Lord. In fact, he was the one who entrusted the teaching of the Sith Acolytes to Uthar's safekeeping. Perhaps back in the day, he was useful, but now Revan didn't see any reason to let him, or anyone else, live. Bastila was in the Sith hands right now. Mercy for them was irrelevant.

And so he struck the Sith Master down, passing by his defenses in a swift strike, blocking his double lightsaber with his own red one and driving his blue one into his opponent's body, killing him instantly. Perhaps under different circumstances, he would be able to stand longer against Revan. Perhaps if he wasn't taken by surprise? After all, Revan had some reasons to appoint him as the Headmaster. But no one would know it now. And Revan had no time to contemplate it now.

Uthar's death seemed to break a little the spirits of his other opponents. Until this day, most of the students of the Academy used to be looking up to him. Now, with the Headmaster dead, the apprentices found out, that the man in front of them was far more than just an imposter.

Driven with hatred and anger, he wasted no time in dealing with the Sith apprentices. They posed no challenge for him and he treated them as such. Even though they tried, they simply couldn't find a way to deliver their own attacks because Revan continued to strike them down with his own lightsabers, showing the speed usually not met amongst the mortals.

It was then that his enemies began to believe that it truly was Dart Revan who returned from the grave for vengeance. This caused his opponents to back away from him and allowed Revan and his men to swiftly chase them, leaving behind the trail of the dead bodies.

The thickener was bringing the desired effects. His coughing died away, allowing him to breathe somehow normally. And with the air filter that was placed in his mask, he was able to breathe properly just like before being poisoned. The substance didn't have as many side effects as Wolfie said it might have had, though. Of course, his moves were indeed a little clumsier and slower, but not to the point that he was unable to fight. In fact, no one in the Academy was able to keep up with him, but that was expected.

"I and HK will go for the Star Map" Revan announced when the assault stopped. He walked through the Valley that was now littered with corpses of the Dark Jedi and the archeologists. "Stay here lest the more reinforcements arrive. We should be back in no time. Come on, HK." The droid followed him without saying a word.

They soon entered the tomb. The air there was chilling – as it was expected from it. Even if the tomb was sculpted in the mountain, it was encrusted from the inside. Ancient inscriptions were carved out on the walls; usually, they were teachings of the Sith who was buried in that tomb.

The floor was cobbled, causing Revan to make a loud echo with each step; HK's steps were even more terrifying as the metal was meeting the stone, sending chills up Revan's spine.

The corridors were narrow – Revan and HK could barely walk side by side. The former Dark Lord was using his blue lightsaber to provide themselves with some sort of light as the tomb was entirely dark. The constant humming of his weapon did little to comfort him.

Even though he was in that tomb years ago, it was still somewhat scary place. No one knew what monstrosities lurked in the shadows, attracted by the Dark Side of the Star Map and the Sith Lord who was buried there.

Revan was sure that he could hear whispers in the tomb. The omnipresent Dark Side was calling for him, tempting him to succumb to it. He could hear the ancient Sith Lords gently, yet firmly sharing their knowledge with him as if he was in a possession of their holocrons, drawing the teachings included there.

But he resisted them. The same scenario was happening before when he first entered the tombs. Back then, it was almost impossible for him or Malak to resist those voices, as they were under the influence of the Sith Emperor and the lure of the Dark Side was strong in those days. But not now. Now, after all those years, the Dark Side didn't command him anymore. Now he was commanding it.

He and his droid continued to make their way through the tomb; so far they encountered no form of life. Revan couldn't complain, though. The creatures that found shelter in the tomb were always contorted by the Dark Side.

As they continued their path into the tomb, the voices were becoming louder and louder. In the beginning, they were single words spoken in the ancient Sith language. Despite his best effort, Revan never managed to learn it completely. He could make out few words, but no more than that.

Then, as the voices were becoming louder and louder, he could make out the whole sentences being spoken in the common language. He could hear the past… and the future, lurking in the walls of the tomb.

 _Revan,_ one voice spoke; one he was very familiar with. Hearing it here made him stop in his tracks. He looked around, trying to locate the source of it. He found none.

 _Revan,_ the female voice repeated, this time louder. He looked around again, bringing his lightsaber forward in order to lighten a larger area in front of him.

What he saw made him break his heart. There, in the middle of the main chamber was standing Bastila, facing him. His heart stopped as he realized what that meant. The seventh day was almost done and the Dark Side was strong in his wife, allowing her subconscious to make its way even to Korriban. He saw it earlier; the minds of his prisoners slowly splitting away from the bodies, going to the places where the Dark Side was calling them.

"Bastila," Revan said, coming closer to him. She wasn't there in a flesh and he knew it. It was the result of the Dark Side that kept on tempting her.

"You abandoned me," she said in a calm voice – far too calm for her. He watched her intensively; her skin didn't have any trails of corruption and her eyes were still grey, just as he remembered them. Her expression was a painful one, though.

"I didn't abandon you, Bas" he replied with a soft tone, not daring to close the distance between them. "If only I could, I would do anything to protect you."

"But you didn't" she replied with the same calm, almost emotionless tone. "You left me on _Leviathan,_ allowing Malak to capture me. You are the one who allowed that to happen."

"Bas…" he tried to say something, but she interrupted him.

"You were too weak to save me" she accused him. He could say nothing to that. "You ARE too weak to save me!"

"Enough," he said. Bastila ignored that.

"Perhaps back in the time of your reign as the Dark Lord you were strong, but now you became weak. You allowed the Jedi teachings to weaken you, depriving you of your former strength."

"I said enough!" he repeated, this time much more firmly. He watched as Bastila's expression began to turn. Her skin was becoming paler and paler, allowing the veins on her face to be clearly visible. Also, her eyes began to turn from grey to gold.

"You are nothing but a shadow of your former self," she said, pointing her finger at him. Her clothes began to change as well. The beige robe she usually wore was turning into the dark clothing, similar to those many Dark Jedi were wearing.

"This is not you, Bastila" Revan replied.

"This is me, Revan," she said, this time with an angry voice. "The new me, freed from the Council's bindings."

"This is not you!" Revan countered, coming closer. "The Bastila I know wouldn't say anything like it. The Bastila I know would avoid the Dark Side, and not embrace it! You are not Bastila Shan" he shouted, more to convince himself. As soon as he said that, Bastila's image faded away.

 _You allowed him to turn me,_ he heard her voice, this time as one of the many whispers that were present in the tomb. He shook his head to silence the voices down.

"Come on, HK," he said to his droid. "Let's not waste more time in here."

They continued forward, leaving the chamber that they were in. Revan and HK walked into yet another narrow corridor; the former Dark Lord was still holding his blue lightsaber in front of him in order to lighten the path in front of them.

After no more than one hundred meters, they found themselves in a place where the corridor was turning into a large cave. In opposite to the rest of the tomb, this was the natural part of the mountain. It was all covered with stalagmites, stalactites, and pillars that were formed from the combination of the previous two.

It was also the coldest part of the tomb.

The droplets of water were falling down from the ceiling, creating a loud echo each time they fell to the ground. Revan wrapped up himself with his robe tighter as he shivered out of the cold. The steam was coming out of his mouth.

He and HK crossed the narrow stone bridge that connected the separate ends of the cave. Small stones fell off the bridge as Revan was walking through it.

The cave soon turned back into the similar corridor they were previously in. This one was much shorter, though and soon they found themselves in a round chamber that had several sculptures which looked like humans, contorted in pain. They seemed to be preventing the walls from collapsing.

In the middle of the chamber was standing the destination of their journey. The last Star Map.

Revan walked up to it. Just as previously, the Star Map opened automatically, sensing someone around. Just as before, the hologram of the Galaxy floated into the air, showing the missing coordinates.

Revan wasted no time in admiring the view. He had seen it many times previously. He walked up to the old device and plugged in his datapad. He would combine the coordinates from all the Star Maps later, once he was back in the Ebon Hawk. Now he only had to download the data.

As the Star Map was being transferred to his datapad, something caught his attention. Revan straightened up as if in an attempt to sensitize himself better to the gentle echo that was being sent through the Force.

His eyes widened in shock when he realized what it was that he felt within the Force. Behind his mask, his orbs turned to gold as his hatred returned to him with full strength.

Vrook was on Korriban.

"Come on, HK, we've got to hurry!" he ordered to his droid, unplugging his datapad from the Star Map once he made sure that the data was fully downloaded.

The two ran out form the chamber, going back the same path they came in here. Revan used the Force in order to accelerate his moves and HK was right behind him; his robotic build allowing him to keep up with his master with ease.

They swiftly passed the chamber where Revan encountered 'Bastila' and continued alongside the narrow corridor till the exit of the tomb. Revan used the Force to break down the heavy door that stood in their path, without as much as slowing done. Once it was done, he leaped out from the tomb to the Valley of the Sith Lords.

There, right at the entrance to the Naga Sadow's tomb were standing Vrook Lamar and Kavar, apparently waiting for him. Ahead of them were Rex and Canderous, both in a kneeling position; their hands cuffed behind their backs. Both of Revan's men had lightsaber wounds on their bodies – a testimony to their fight against the Jedi Masters.

"I must admit, you gave me quite a chase" Vrook said in his usual biting tone. "I had nowhere to go after you destroyed that Star Map on Kashyyyk and had to return to Coruscant with nothing."

"I hoped you died on Dantooine" Revan replied; venom heard in his words. The gold of his eyes was now more than capable of outshining the stars.

"Many have died and you shall join them soon," Kavar said, taking a step forward, standing abreast with Vrook.

"We've made a mistake by letting you live a few months ago" Vrook added, bringing his lightsaber closer to Rex' back. Kavar did the same with his own lightsaber, putting it right against Canderous' back at the height of his chest. "You have drawn many to you, inspiring the betrayal amongst the Republic soldiers. And they shall share your fate."

It took Revan only a split second to realize what that meant. He looked in the eyes of his men one last time, unable to do anything more.

Rex and Canderous seemed to understand it. Time seemed to slow down and they haven't said as much as a single word. Their eyes spoke it all. They didn't bear a grudge against him for that. In fact, they looked to be proud in that moment. They knew what was going to happen, yet none of them flinched.

 _Kill them,_ Canderous mouthed out soundlessly. Revan nodded to him, signalizing that he understood. The old Mandalorian smirked slightly.

Rex didn't say anything. His eyes were speaking, though, instead of his mouth. Revan understood the concealed message behind the gaze.

His most loyal soldier was proud to die for him.

Despite the fact that to Revan it seemed like hours, not more than five seconds have passed. To say he was angry would be an understatement. He was furious. Rarely in his life was he unable to do something while his reaction was necessary. And this was one of those moments.

Revan watched helplessly as a blue and green lightsabers erupted from the chests of his two followers. Their mouths opened simultaneously in a silent scream of pain and then they fell lifelessly on the ground as the two Jedi Masters brought out their weapons form their bodies.

"HK" Revan addressed his droid through clenched teeth, igniting both of his lightsabers. "Kill the meatbags," he said, tossing his blue lightsaber to HK.

"Answer: With pleasure, Master."

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 **Thanks for reading it, guys, let me know what you think about this chapter and generally about this story. And yes, I know that Uthar's story as a Headmaster is a little bit different but I simply decided to shorten it and not get too much into it. And yes, purposely I haven't included Yuthura here because I'll be needing her later and I'll make an explanation of why she wasn't on Korriban. See you soon, guys!**


	46. Chapter 45

**I must admit, I never expected how funny it actually is to kill off the main or secondary characters. I think I now know why George R. R. Martin is doing it so often XD. Perhaps I'll do it some more often later in the story XD.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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Chapter 45

"Threat: I have killed many Jedi. I have killed many Sith" HK said, twirling in hand the ignited lightsaber that Revan tossed him. While the former Dark Lord was focused on Vrook, the assassin droid took on Master Kavar.

"I'm not just an ordinary Jedi" Kavar replied.

"Clarification: You are a pathetic meatbag whose life will end today."

"We'll see about that, droid."

HK needed no further invitation. Surprising his opponent with his skills, the droid proceeded to attack the Jedi Master with the blue lightsaber. Kavar was a little taken aback by the ferocity of the droid's attacks. Though he quickly adapted to it. Despite the fact that HK had some significant skills with the lightsaber, Kavar was not defenseless. After all, he wasn't one of the best duelists in the Jedi Order without a reason. Carrying two lightsabers, the Jedi Master was able to stand against the rusty droid without many difficulties.

"I should have killed you years ago," Vrook said in between the slashes. "You should have never made it to the Order."

"That wasn't your only mistake, old fool" Revan replied, not breaking his assault.

His young age allowed him to deliver a blow after blow at the Jedi Master who was struggling to keep up with his opponent. It's fair to say that if Revan was using both of his lightsabers instead of one, Vrook wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Despite that fact, Vrook managed to deliver his own strikes every now and then. The ancient Valley of the Sith Lords was now filled with the sounds of the lightsabers clashing against each other. Red, blue and green colors filled the stone structures that used to be the workplace of the archeologists that were now lying dead on the ground.

He paid no mind to Kavar. HK proved himself to be more than capable of handling even a Jedi Master. When he was engineering his droid, he made sure to add the programming that allowed him to wield a lightsaber as a Jedi Knight would. It was good to see that it was working.

Revan gripped his lightsaber with both of his hands, bringing it high above his head. He did it in an attempt to cut Vrook from above but the old Jedi Master saw it coming. Lamar brought his own green saber to deflect the powerful strikes that Revan kept on delivering. He was so focused on his enemy's lightsaber that he failed to notice the young man moving his head in his direction.

Vrook staggered backward when Revan's head made contact with his face, breaking his nose. He spat blood when the former Dark Lord kicked him in the guts with his knee, forcing him to bend forward.

Revan was prepared to end him right there, right then. Once again bringing his lightsaber high above his head, he brought it down, aiming for decapitating Vrook in one swift movement.

His plan came to naught, though, as Master Kavar tossed one of his blue lightsabers at him. The strength hidden behind that action deflected Revan's blade and sent it in an opposite direction from the planned one. This action bought Vrook a few precious seconds that were enough to save his life.

The old Master straightened up, jumping not high from the ground. Pivoting in the air, Vrook lifted his right leg, aiming it at Revan's chest. His action brought the desired effect, sending the younger man flying few meters backward.

Revan turned around in the air in order to regain balance. He quickly landed on the ground, he slid two or three meters backward, using his free hand to slow himself down. The ground beneath him cracked alongside the spot where his hand touched it – the Dark Side floating off of his body in waves.

He renewed his assault by running back at the old Jedi who has now fully regained his composure and healed his broken nose. The two clashed once again, refusing to give the upper hand to their opponent.

Meanwhile, Kavar was beginning to lose the ground against HK as the droid continued his assault. The fact that he wasn't a living being was making it easy for him to keep on fighting intensively while the Jedi Master began to tire.

Kavar tried to send HK flying backward with the Force Push, only to find out that the droid was immune to the Force attacks. The look of surprise on his face was quickly replaced with the grimace of pain when HK delivered a powerful kick in his guts, forcing the air out of his lungs.

The Jedi Master tried to block the droid's assault, though it was difficult. Clearly, he wasn't prepared to face an enemy who could continue to fight with such ferocity for so long. And the Jedi stagnancy now saw the light of the day, showing how incapable of fighting were those who didn't participate in the war. It was said that Kavar was the best duelist in the Order, second to none. But as it turned out he was only a master when it came to teaching. Not participating in any real war made him incapable of facing HK-47 whose programming was based on what Revan learned during his campaigns against the Mandalorians.

The droid knocked out one of his lightsabers from his hands with his powerful blows, making Kavar fight with just one. The Jedi Master knew perfectly well all the forms of lightsaber combat and would be able to defend himself against someone who was fighting according to those forms, though the droid seemed to act almost instinctively if it was even possible for a machine.

Another powerful punch in the guts left Kavar breathless again. In the last futile hope, the Jedi Master tried to protect himself by sending multiple rocks and stones at the droid with the Force, counting on damaging him somehow, though his effort came to naught. Mere stones were not enough to pierce HK's armor.

The droid continued the assault, forcing Kavar to back down. HK then tossed the blue lightsaber at the Jedi Master as if in an attempt to cut him in half. Vrook's companion deflected the blade with ease, smiling under his nose. His smile quickly vanished, though when he noticed droid's hand pointed at him.

"Meatbag" was all HK said before using the flamethrower that was attached to his forearm. Kavar had no time to react as the weapon released its deadly charge, surrounding the Jedi Master with fire. His screams filled the Valley as well as the odor of a burning body. Soon, his screams died out as he fell lifelessly to the ground.

Kavar's death attracted Vrook's attention for few precious seconds what turned out to be his damnation. Revan used that time to call to himself with the Force the second lightsaber that was lying nearby. Doubling his attacks, he resumed the assault on the old Jedi Master. Vrook had a hard time blocking all the strikes that were coming at him but he managed to parry them but not without breaking a sweat.

Leaping backward, Revan created a distance between them. Then, he tossed one of his lightsabers at the old Jedi Master as if in a hope to cut him in half. This came to naught as Vrook jumped over it; the blade missing his body literally by millimeters.

Using the fact that the Jedi Master was in the air, Revan sent a Force Wave in his direction, pushing him towards the stone structures that were standing in the middle of the Valley. Vrook hit one of the columns hard with his back, causing him to groan in pain.

Revan closed the distance between them by leaping at his enemy. He tried to pin the Jedi Master to the stone column behind him, though his opponent managed to dash away from him, missing his blade again by mere millimeters.

Vrook collapsed on the ground beneath him when all of a sudden a lightsaber pierced his thigh. It was the lightsaber that Revan tossed at him previously and now he called it back, causing the blade to get stuck in the leg of his opponent.

The Jedi Master groaned in pain again while pulling out the lightsaber. He didn't see yet another blade coming in his direction, though. Closing the distance between in one swift stride, Revan pierced his second lightsaber deep into Vrook's stomach, causing him to fell to his knees. The Jedi Master coughed with blood.

Revan pulled out his red lightsaber from Vrook's body and gripped his head with his free hand, preparing to finish his opponent for good.

"I should have killed you on that backwater planet" Vrook spat out, coughing blood. Revan nodded his head.

"Aye. You should have" he replied. The Valley was filled with screams again when Revan unleashed his anger in a form of Force Lightning, releasing it from the hand with which he was gripping Vrook's head. The old Jedi Master was screaming, attempting to set himself free from Revan's iron grip but it came to naught. The younger man was superior when it came to physical strength.

After a few seconds of holding Vrook like that, Revan lifted his lightsaber and cut off his head in one swift movement, silencing him forever. He looked into the empty eyes for a while longer before throwing the object in his hands away, sending it somewhere into the Valley.

"Wolfie," he said, turning on his communicator. "Land the Ebon Hawk and gather everyone here. We need to say the last farewell to Rex and Canderous" he said without waiting for a reply.

* * *

The Ebon Hawk landed not far away, in the empty spot of the Valley. The crew abandoned the ship and made its way towards the center of the former workplace of the archeologists. When they arrived, two stacks were already formed in the middle of the Valley. Revan and HK were pacing back and forth, gathering items necessary for the stacks to burn. The sun was already setting down, casting long shadows at the ancient tombs.

Apart from Revan, no one dared to come up to the stacks. Everyone was standing at a respective distance, not being able to come any closer.

When the stacks were ready, Revan ignited them, using the Force Lightning to create sparks. The pieces of materials they gathered from around the Valley, as well as the archeologist tools quickly caught fire, spreading it throughout the entire stacks. Soon, the flame was burning in its full glory, consuming those who were lying on the plies.

"His name was Reildar Cloaddi, aka Rex" Revan began, staring blankly at the stack. His mask was off "He came to us from Balmorra. He served under the Republic and later under me for all his life. Until now. After all the years of your service, you're finally free. Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum."

"His name was Canderous of Clan Ordo," Revan said, using the same phrase as previously. "He came to us from Mandalore. He served under Mandalore the Ultimate and later under me for all his life. Until now. After all the years of your service, you're finally free. Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum."

"Motir ca'tra nau tracinya. Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a. Cuun hett su..." Revan hummed the Aay'han – the Mandalorian funeral chant. Fox and Wolfie joined him, despite not being Mandalorians themselves. Revan taught them the basics of Mando'a and he made sure that the funeral chant was amongst those basics. And so they sung, filling the Valley of the Sith Lords with the echo of their combined voices.

"They didn't deserve such fate" Revan stated when the chant stopped. "They were both warriors and they should have died like ones. With their weapons in hands, in the last, glorious battle. Not on their knees, not backstabbed with their hands cuffed behind them. None of them fought for spoils or glory. For honor perhaps. But most of all, they fought and died for me."

"Soldiers die during the war" Fox stated, staring blankly at the stacks. "Rarely they get a chance to die an honorable death."

"I haven't lost soldiers today" Revan countered. "I've lost brothers."

"Objection: Master, they weren't your brothers," HK said. "They weren't even related to you in any way. The Mandalorian perhaps, but not the second one."

"You won't understand it, HK" Revan countered.

"Objection: Master, my highly advanced programming allows me to understand far more things than all of the meatbags from the Galaxy combined with each other can understand. Including you" the droid added after a split second of hesitation. Revan shook his head.

"But not this, HK. You will never understand what it means to care. You will never understand what love is."

"Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target one hundred and twenty kilometers away, using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope… Love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticule, and together, achieving a singular purpose against statistically long odds." Revan shook his head again, deciding not to argue with his droid.

"Here is the data from all the Star Maps" Revan said, giving his datapad to Fox. "Decipher the coordinates and prepare the Ebon Hawk for the jump. I'll stay here a while longer."

"What about the rest of the bodies?" he queried.

"What with them?"

"What are we supposed to do with them?"

"Leave them where they are" Revan replied, looking at the corpses that were lying scattered around the Valley. "Let them serve as a food for bugs."

They soon began to disperse, slowly turning back and heading towards the Ebon Hawk. There was no talking. No one dared to breach the silence of the Valley.

Revan was still standing in front of the burning stacks. The wind was getting stronger and stronger as the night was approaching. The result was that the air was whistling in the Valley, getting across the stone structures. The temperature was also dropping rapidly, resembling the one in the tombs. He wrapped up himself tighter in order to protect himself from the cold.

The wind was sending the smoke from the stacks in his direction, forcing him to cover his mouth in order to not breathe in the fumes. It was smarting his eyes, causing few tears to appear in the corners. Or maybe it was a grief? He didn't know.

"I think I've told you to go back to the ship," he said when his senses picked up someone else's presence nearby.

"I know" Mission replied. "I just wanted to make sure you're holding up somehow." Revan snorted at that.

"Somehow" he repeated bluntly. "And how would you be holding up? In the past week, I've made far more mistakes than during the past years. The result is that my wife is in hands of my former best friend, now my biggest enemy, left to the mercy of him and his men. Two of my most loyal men died because of my order. I watched them die, unable to save them. Yeah, I'm holding up perfectly."

"Bastila's capture is not your fault" Mission comforted him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Revan snorted again.

"Of course it is" he replied. "I found out about Juhani's mission back on Kashyyyk, yet I did nothing. On Tatooine, I've got an indisputable proof of her collaboration with the Jedi Council, yet I did nothing. If only I reacted sooner, Bastila would be with us, intact and Rex and Canderous would be still alive. If only I reacted sooner…" he trailed off. Mission continued to rub the comforting circles on his shoulder and back.

"They were close to you" she more stated than asked.

"Yes," Revan replied, still not looking at her. "I met them both during the Mandalorian Wars. Rex was one of my most trusted soldiers while Canderous was one of my top enemies."

"Enemies?" Mission queried surprised.

"Yes. We fought on the opposite sides of the conflict. I was leading the Republic and the Jedi while he was leading the Clan Ordo. Many times we encountered each other on the battlefield."

"So how did it happen that you two were getting along so well?"

"Despite the fact that I crushed the Mandalorians, none of them holds a grudge against me. Of all things, they mostly believe in strength. When they are at war, they do not seek spoils or treasure or anything like that, no. They are looking for a worthy opponent. Going to war is a challenge for them. They test themselves against other armies of the Galaxy. If they win, they go further. If they lose, they acknowledge the superiority of their enemy. And so it was in my case. Before I joined the war, the Mandalorians were invincible. The Republic had one victory at best while Mandalorians were rampaging across the Outer Rim, conquering a world after world, without meeting much of a resistance. When I took the lead, the war began to turn in the Republic's favor. For the first time in fourteen years, the Mandalorians met someone who was able to stand against them. In me, they saw the reflection of their own philosophy. In me, they saw their greatest challenge of all. If they defeated me in the war, the Mandalorians would assume that no force could stand against them. I've earned their respect by outsmarting their tacticians and outmatching their most skilled warriors."

"Doesn't make much sense to me" Mission summed up. "I mean, I've heard that you had slain their leader and scattered the clans. If I were one of them, I would hate you with my whole heart" she admitted. Revan chuckled gently after hearing that.

"For many, it's difficult to understand the Mandalorian culture. They never hold a grudge against those they lose with. They admire them. After losing a combat or war, they try to understand their mistakes and work on how to improve them. Which is why I believe the Mandalorians will outlive the Republic."

"What?" she asked, clearly not understanding what he meant.

"The Republic is a dying beast. I proved it when I almost cast it to its knees. The greatest advantage the Mandalorians had was the fact that they didn't have a democracy. Mandalore is always an authoritarian leader. He listens to the representatives of other clans, of course, but his word is law. Thanks to this rule, the Mandalorians were capable of making swift and important decisions in the blink of an eye while I was forced to wait for the Senate to end the discussions. Which almost proved to be our doom. If I didn't stop listening to the Senate at some point during the war, our victory wouldn't be so sure."

"And why is that?"

"There are little to no Senators who actually care about people that chose them. Most of them see nothing but their bank balance. Countless times in the war I asked for reinforcements and supplies. They denied me that, saying that it's not 'financially rewarding'. Only when Mandalorians set to conquer the Telerath System, the Senators were consentaneous as to defend it."

"What was the reason for that?"

"Telerath is a banking planet, located in the Inner Rim. Despite the fact that it lays so close to the center of the Galaxy, it's not a part of the Republic and never will be. The reason that planet acts as a bank is that of its neutrality. Every Senator of the Republic has its Credits located there. Or at least most of them. So I think you can understand why they were so eager to send me to defend it from the Mandalorians." Mission nodded. A silence fell between them.

The stacks were burned almost entirely. The bodies of his fallen men have already disappeared with the smoke that filled the air around the Valley. The sun has already hidden behind the horizon, leaving the entire Valley in darkness. Only the monumental sculptures that were standing afar were still visible, overshadowing everything else in that part of the planet.

"What even are those?" Mission asked, looking at the statues. She rubbed her arms in order to bring some heat to her body. Revan followed her gaze.

"For millenniums, this place served as a relic of the Dark Side. And one of its strongest emotions is fear. Those sculptures are supposed to scare those who come here. Many say that they used to be the living beings who didn't bow to the first Sith Lords. As a punishment, they turned them into stone, forcing them to bow for eternity. But I guess we'll never know the truth" Revan explained.

"I must admit, they are pretty scary," Mission said, still looking at the sculptures.

"Why are you even doing this?" Revan asked all of a sudden, surprising her.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Why did you support me on the Ebon Hawk?" he explained, looking at her. "You've heard what I did as the Dark Lord, so why did you stand by me? And why are you here, trying to comfort me now?" If Mission was offended by his questions, she did not show it. She shrugged.

"I never knew you as the Dark Lord, but I know you as Alen Royce who helped me back on Taris. You helped me to get over the destruction of my homeworld but you didn't have to. You turned out to be the friend I needed so I just wanted to return the favor, I guess. Everyone needs a solace, even the Dark Lord of the Sith himself." Revan chuckled at that.

"I guess you're right" he murmured. "Come on, Mission. Let's go back to the ship" he said when the stacks stopped burning. Now, only a pile of ashes remained.

They turned around and proceeded to head towards the Ebon Hawk. Mission was in the lead, allowing Revan to remain with his own thoughts.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. There was a disturbance in the Force. A silent one, but loud enough for those who were willing to listen to it. His eyes glazed over and his lower lip trembled when he understood what it was that the Force communicated.

The seventh day has passed.

* * *

 **That's it for today, I hope you liked it. Also, I'd be thankful if I received the similar amount of reviews as after the previous chapter (that is 4). So, see you in the next update!**

 **Translation:**

 **Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum -** **I'm still alive, but you are dead, I remember you, so you are eternal.**

 **Motir ca'tra nau tracinya. Gra'tua cuun hett su dralshy'a. Cuun hett su - Those who stand before us light the night sky in flame. Our vengeance burns brighter still. Burns brighter still.**

 **Aay'han - a bittersweet moment of mourning and joy; "remembering and celebration".**


	47. Chapter 46

**Note: This chapter is happening at the same time as the previous one.  
**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 46

 _There is no emotion, there is peace,_ Bastila repeated in her mind for a hundredth time already.

 _Peace is a lie, there is only passion!_ A foreign voice spoke inside of her head. After contemplating it for a while, she realized that it was her own voice, but filled with anger.

 _Yes, that is true,_ she admitted, _Isn't it passion that fuels my relationship with Revan? No! It's not passion, it's love. There is no passion, there is serenity,_ she said in her thoughts as if in an attempt to stifle the second voice in her head. Her effort came to naught, though.

 _Through passion, I gain strength,_ the second voice whispered gently in her mind.

 _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge,_ she kept on repeating, trying to ignore the other voice.

 _And supposedly there is no ignorance, the_ second voice mocked her inside of her head. _And what is it that Revan once said? One must know the poison in order to find out how to fight it. Why shouldn't you do the same? You want to destroy the Sith, don't you? Why shouldn't you help your beloved one? Why did he insist you not help him? Oh, you know perfectly well why. He wants to control you._

"That's not true" Bastila replied, not realizing she said those words out loud.

 _It is,_ the voice continued on, _He wants to control you and he is aware that once you embrace the Dark Side, you'll become as powerful as he is or even surpass him. Through strength, I gain power. And through power, I gain victory. Isn't it what Revan truly wants? The victory over an enemy he can't fight alone. He knows he will fail and yet he's too proud to ask you for help. Or perhaps, he's too afraid of your true potential!  
_

 _There is no chaos, there is harmony,_ Bastila kept on reciting the Jedi Code in her mind; tears were running down her cheeks.

 _Through victory, my chains are broken,_ the voice kept on its assault. She shook her head as if in an attempt to get rid of the intruder.

 _There is no death, there is the Force._

 _The Force shall free me!_

And it did. Bastila felt the Force again after almost a week of imprisonment. It was coming out from her in waves, crushing what stood on its way, including the neural disruptor around her neck, the binds on her wrists and ankles and generally most of the room's equipment. She opened her eyes carefully.

So far, no one has noticed what happened.

Hesitantly, Bastila skidded down the interrogation table that she was pinned to for the past seven days. Her muscles were weak after seemingly endless tortures that she went through. She rested on the table for few more moments in order to regain at least some of her strength.

Finally, Bastila raised up, having enough strength to stand on her own and walk. She came up to the door that was magnetically sealed. She tried to move it with her hands, but her efforts came to naught. She chuckled slightly at her own stupidity. In her state, she forgot that she wasn't restricted by the neural disruptor anymore. Calling upon the Force, she moved the heavy door with almost no effort. With a hiss, the door slid away, revealing the path to her freedom.

Bastila was forced to shut her eyes as the first light from the corridor made its way into her cell. After almost a week of being kept in a dark room, she developed a photophobia. After few more seconds, she was ready to leave her prison, only to realize one thing.

She was naked.

At least partially. The only thing she had on was a lingerie and a tube top. Normally, she would blush, as it was the biggest amount of skin she ever showed in public. But not after days of tortures. Now, modesty was irrelevant. As well as her chastity. Malak's soldier took that away from her. But she couldn't walk out into the unknown corridors dressed so improperly. So Bastila spent few more precious seconds on searching for some kind of a robe. Luckily, she found one. After wrapping herself up with the material, Bastila walked into the corridor.

It was dimly lit, but nevertheless, much brighter than the room she was kept in. Gaining confidence with each step, Bastila proceeded to limp towards where she thought the exit was.

 _Revan, please, help me,_ she begged with each step, hoping that her beloved one would hear her somehow. She could feel him through their Force Bond and she was hoping that miraculously he would save her. But he could not hear her. Bastila sensed him being surrounded by a great darkness and hatred that seemed to block her away.

Limping forward, the young Jedi Padawan encountered no resistance. This surprised her. She expected that at least a battalion of troops would be guarding her. Apparently not.

She turned right, entering one of the many off-shoots. Her senses were telling her that it was the direction she had to follow.

There she met first guards. It was a small patrol, composed of only two soldiers. Acting on instincts, she grabbed them both with the Force before they could say or do anything. Repeating what Revan did countless times on her eyes, she squeezed the life out of them with the Force Choke. She continued forward, not paying much attention to the corpses. She had to get out of there. Bastila looked around frantically, hoping to see some kind of a sign that would tell her she was near. She found none.

After limping another several dozen meters, she found herself in a large cave, filled with stalactites and stalagmites. A fog was spreading throughout the cave, blocking her vision. But she saw two figures at the front as if waiting for her. Bastila noticed the lightsabers the figures were holding.

Once again calling upon the Force, Bastila gripped the two Dark Jedi who were blocking her way. Using her second hand, the young Padawan sent few nearby stone formations at her opponents, killing them instantly. She ran up to one of the corpses and picked up the lightsaber. She guessed she would need that later.

Not caring for her aching legs, she ran towards the bridge that connected the separate ends of the cave. She smiled slightly when she noticed a light in front of her – a sign that the exit was near. Bastila chuckled slightly; tears streaming down her face. But these were the tears of joy.

She was too quick to judge the situation, though. After being halfway on the bridge, she noticed a figure coming out from the fog. Her expression quickly turned from a hopeful to a broken one and tears of joy turned into tears of desperation.

"No" she whispered to herself; her lower lip trembled.

Right there, in front of Bastila, between her and her freedom was standing none other than Malak, his lightsaber drawn. She looked frantically around, as if in hope of finding some way out of there. The fog thinned out, revealing dozens upon dozens of Sith Acolytes – each one holding a lightsaber.

Malak used the fact that Bastila was distracted, sending a Lightning at her. This caught her by surprise, sending her few meters backward. She quickly regained her footing, though. Her despair was turning into something different now. Something new, something she never allowed to resurface.

Anger - raw, pure anger that she saw so often in Revan now started to build up in her chest. She didn't fight it, though. She embraced it.

And for the first time in her life, Bastila's grey eyes turned gold.

Ignoring the protest from her aching body, she rushed at her tormentor, turning on the lightsaber she took from one of the corpses. Malak lifted up his own weapon in defense.

Their blades crushed. Bastila put her all strength in the attack, though after one week of torture, her all strength was too little. The Dark Lord of the Sith sent her away like a fly one more time, using the Force Lightning. Once again, she landed on her back, panting heavily.

"You are weak, child," he said in his metallic voice. "The Dark Side is too strong, my power is too great! You are no match for me!"

"Then it's time for you to prove it!" Bastila replied angrily, reigniting the red lightsaber. Once again, she rushed at Malak, hoping to defeat him somehow. The former best friend of her beloved one only laughed maniacally.

Before she could reach him, Malak gripped her tightly with the Force and lifted her high into the air, choking her. Bastila's face turned deep red as her air passages were shut down, depriving her of oxygen.

He turned her around and threw her at the nearby wall. Now, she found herself on the opposite end of the cave – the one where the exit was. Malak closed the distance between them in a swift stride. When he was right next to her, he gripped her hair with his hand and lifted her head.

"Look, child!" he ordered, forcing her to look in the direction he was indicating. "Right there, on the second side of this door, is the way out. If only you've made it, you'd quickly find my ship and would be able to escape. Look!" he yelled at her when she tried to turn away; hot tears were streaming down her face.

She saw it. The planet outside that cave. She could even feel the air on her face – a warm, fresh breeze, carrying with itself a salty scent; they had to be near the ocean. She could also smell the grass. Oh, how she missed that smell! Last time she felt it on Dantooine. The thick forest of Kashyyyk was far too sweltering for her to savor the incredibly rich range of fragrances. Now, she could smell it clearly.

Then, her surroundings changed. It took her a second to realize that Malak turned her once more as if ripping away from her the beautiful, natural world outside, casting her into that cursed cave once again.

"But I don't think you were so stupid as to hope to escape me, child" Malak said in his metallic voice. "Besides, where would you go? To Revan?" He laughed maniacally. "He despises you because you're not his anymore. He is fully aware of what was happening to you, and yet he did nothing to save you."

"Revan" she cried out quietly as if in the last attempt to attract his attention. Once again, it came to naught.

"Here's a thing about your beloved one, Bastila," Malak said, turning her head so she was looking directly into his eyes. Her own gold orbs, filled with tears met the second pair of gold orbs, filled with nothing but hatred. "Thanks to his methods, I was able to break you. It was he who made it possible for me to convert you to the Dark Side!"

"No" she countered weakly.

"It is true, and you know it deep in your heart. You know that it is Revan who created those tortures I used against you. You know that your friends disappearing from the Order is his responsibility. And most of all, you know that it is his fault that you're in my hands now. For he was too weak to save you and when he comes for you, he won't try to rescue you. And do you know why?" He leaned in closer. "Because he is afraid of your true power. He is afraid that you can become a challenge for him. That is why he didn't want you to join us in the Mandalorian Wars. And this is why he will want to kill you."

Bastila said nothing to it. Her anger was still present but it was directed at someone else. It was directed at Revan. Malak's words did their job – she saw the truth in them. After all, Revan did not come to save her, he allowed Malak and his men to use her, according to their tastes. She clenched her teeth as her torturer dropped her to the ground.

"But he will not kill you, Bastila. And do you know why?"

"Because I will kill him first" she replied firmly; anger filling her every word.

And so, the seventh day has passed.

* * *

 **Okay, that's it for today, sorry for how short this chapter is but I needed it to be that way. I promise that the next chapters will be as long as usual. Also, as always, let me know what you thought about this chapter. And yes, I know that the Jedi Code goes slightly different but I had to reverse the second and third line so it actually makes more sense in this case. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	48. Chapter 47

**Recently I've received a question on how the sequel is going to cover the plot of KotOR 2. Well, I don't want to betray everything now, but I can say that it will be more AU than what we know from the second game. It will cover the game's plot but only partially. And I think that's all I can say now XD.**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 47

It took them almost twenty-one hours to reach the Lehon System. For Revan, this time was filled with nervous anticipation and restless meditation. Now that the anger and the fervor of battle didn't have a direct control over him, he could feel Bastila through their Force Bond. And what he felt has nearly broken his spirit.

He felt her anger and hatred pointed at him. He tried to reach her through their Bond, only to find out that she blocked him away while at the same time allowing him to feel her emotions. Allowing him to understand that she blamed him for what was happening to her in the past week.

Malak indeed succeeded in turning her against him.

Unfortunately, he could do nothing about that now. He would not give up on her, of course, but he had to focus on the task at hand, which was regaining control over the Star Forge.

The source of his Empire's power came into view as soon as they left the hyperspace. Each member of the crew was gathered in the cockpit – everyone was eager to see their destination.

Even from so far away, the Star Forge looked huge. It floated steadily over the System's star, draining the energy from it. White-hot plasma was coming to the three fins that radiated outwards from the central spherical structure. Star's material served as a fuel for construction of the fleet and other war machines. Around it, hundreds of hundreds of Interdictor-class cruisers were gathered, surrounding it. Compared to the Star Forge, they looked like flies.

"Oh, my…" Carth trailed off, mesmerized by the look in front of him. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Not many have" Revan replied. For him, the Star Forge was nothing extraordinary but he could understand Carth's fascination. After all, he reacted similarly when he first arrived at the Lehon System. "Transmit these coordinates to the Republic fleet."

He earned a surprised look from Fox, Wolfie, and Carth.

"You didn't believe that I'm not working to destroy the Republic. Here's the proof. If you transmit these coordinates now, the Republic will be able to destroy the Sith and end the war. Wolfie" he addressed the second pilot. "The Star Forge's sensors are far more sensitized than those of normal ships. Disable all unnecessary systems of the Ebon Hawk. Concentrate full power on stealth generator and put the life support systems down to the required minimum. Enable the stealth generator and bring us down to the Rakata Prime" Revan said, pointing at the nearby planet. "The disruptor field is most probably up and if it is the case, the Republic fleet will crash against it. We must disable it from the planet's surface."

With that he left the cockpit, heading towards the provisional medical bay where Atton was resting for the past few days.

"How do you feel?" Revan asked, leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Better" Atton replied, lifting up instinctively out of respect.

"You can stay down," Revan said immediately. "Do you think you can fight?" Atton huffed at that.

"I think I am able to shoot at somebody" he replied after a moment of hesitation. "But no more than that."

"That will be enough. In few hours we'll board the Star Forge. But we'll have to fight our way to reclaim control over it." Revan's assassin nodded, signing that he understood. The former Dark Lord turned around to leave the medical bay. He sensed Bastila's presence approaching – she must have remained in the temple on Rakata Prime.

As soon as Revan turned around, he found himself facing Fox who was blocking his way. His soldier had a stern look on his face and arms crossed over his chest.

"What was all that about?"

"What do you mean?" Revan replied with a question.

"Sending the Star Forge coordinates to the Republic" Fox clarified. "If we send them the coordinates, they will destroy the Star Forge. And from what I understood, you wanted to reclaim it."

"And if the Republic fleet arrives, they will provide us with the distraction we need to board the Star Forge" Revan countered. "If we go there alone, we'll be blast off of the sky in no time by their artillery. But if out of nowhere the Republic fleet shows up, the Empire we'll be focused on defending themselves from the invade while we will be able to fly there unnoticed and retake control over the Star Forge. And don't you ever question my orders again. For it may turn out terribly wrong for you."

This silenced Fox for good. Revan passed him, not paying him any more attention. Soon, he felt the Ebon Hawk entering the planet's atmosphere. The ship shook gently, but quickly returned to a steady flight.

"We have no time to waste" Revan announced. "The Republic we'll be here in no time and we must disable that disruptor field as soon as possible. Stay on the Ebon Hawk and have the ship prepared for the immediate take off. I should be back shortly. Come on, T3. I'll be needing your help, buddy" he said, addressing the small droid. He beeped in a response and followed his owner.

"Revan, wait!" Jolee called him when he already left the Ebon Hawk. They landed on a beach not far from the Temple. "You can't go in there alone!" he said. The wound on his face was now healed and only a scar remained. His facial hair and brows didn't grow back, though.

"What do you mean?"

"I have had a… a premonition. The Force has given me a vision. There is great danger within the Temple. I cannot let you face it alone."

"I know what is in there, Jolee" Revan replied, not looking at him. "And I know I must face it alone."

"I cannot allow you to go there alone!" the old Jedi exclaimed. "The fate of you and the Galaxy will be determined inside that Temple. And if you make the wrong decision…"

"I don't need your help, Jolee" Revan replied sternly. "Remain here. I'll return as soon as possible."

"I can only hope you're not wrong," Jolee said, resigned.

"Come on, T3. Let's hurry" Revan said, urging the small droid to come with him. The two proceeded alongside the stone formations that covered the beach. Soon, the Rakata Temple came into view. It was an old, stone structure that was overshadowing everything around it. And that was where Bastila's presence was coming from. The droid beeped nervously.

"Don't worry, T3" Revan said reassuringly, patting the small droid on the head. "Nothing will happen to us."

* * *

Revan didn't break a sweat even once as he was cutting his way through more and more Dark Jedi. He must have admitted he didn't expect them to be there, but those Acolytes were no match for him. It's fair to say that the Temple was filled with the worst duelists of the Empire.

Soon, he and T3 made their way towards the roof of the Temple. It was there where they could disable the disruptor field.

And it was there where Bastila was waiting for him.

She was sitting at the far end of the roof – her legs crossed and her arms resting on her knees. Revan came closer to her; she didn't acknowledge his presence in any way. Her eyes remained closed all the time Revan was making his way towards her. When he got close enough, he heard her… reciting the Jedi Code.

"There is no chaos," she said. "There is harmony."

"Bastila" Revan said gently. His voice was muffled by his mask.

"The path of the light is a difficult one to walk," she said, raising up and coming closer to him. Revan noticed the changes in her clothing. Now she was wearing a blue-grey robe. Otherwise than that, she looked exactly the same when he last saw her. "One might not even see the shadows until he's surrounded and can never find his way back."

"Bastila" Revan repeated in the same tone. Now she was standing few meters from him and Revan could make out details of her expression. Even if she was hiding it, he could feel pain and suffering hidden behind her gaze.

"I knew you'd come for me" Bastila replied bluntly. "Malak warned me of that."

"Come with me, Bastila," Revan said, taking off his mask. He tossed it aside. "It's still not too late. Return with me to the Ebon Hawk. I can help you."

"Help me?" she asked, chuckling humorlessly. "You couldn't have helped me for the past week when I needed you the most! What makes you think I need you now?"

"Because I know what you feel, Bastila" he replied, taking a step forward. "And I know what happened to you."

"Then where were you when I needed you the most?" Bastila asked in an emotionless tone, though he was sure he heard the pain in her voice. "You gave up on me."

"What?"

"You were aware of what Malak would do to me and yet you did nothing to stop him. As soon as you left the _Leviathan,_ you abandoned me, dooming me to Malak's favor. You didn't fight for me. You never did" she added. All the while, her voice was remaining strangely peaceful, just like when he 'encountered' her on Korriban. He could say nothing to it. "But you promised me that. You promised me to always stay by me" Bastila added after a few seconds of silence. "You promised me that by handing me this" she finished, lifting her left hand. There, on her fourth finger, was a ring that Revan placed there not more than two weeks ago.

"I know I have failed you" he admitted, risking yet another step forward. "But please, Bastila, let me help you. I won't fail you again, I promise."

"You promise? You promised me to return after the Mandalorian Wars. Yet you disappeared for a whole year and when you did return, you started your own war against the Republic that you promised to protect" Bastila replied; her hands resting on her hips. "By giving me this ring, you promised to protect me and care for me. Yet when you had the possibility to fulfill your promise, you failed, fleeing like a coward from _Leviathan._ And when I needed you the most, you weren't there. You were hiding from your former apprentice!"

"That's not true and you know it" Revan countered.

"No? Which one of that is not true, according to you? That you didn't fulfill your promise when you set to fight the Mandalorians? Or perhaps that you didn't fulfill your promise as a husband?" she asked rhetorically. Revan watched her removing the ring from her finger. "And do you want to know why you've come here?" Bastila asked. Now she was holding the ring with her two fingers. "You came here to die" she finished. With those words, she dropped the ring to the floor, destroying it with the Force Lightning. The metal object scattered to hundreds of small pieces. Revan's eyes glazed over and he looked up in order to gaze onto Bastila. He did it just in time to see her eyes turning from grey to gold.

Moving faster than Revan would expect her to, she ignited her lightsaber. The saberstaff came to life with two crimson blades protruding on both sides. Reacting in the last moment, Revan ignited his own lightsabers, blocking Bastila's attack that could have easily decapitated him.

He couldn't believe what was happening. Of course, he had a feeling that it may come to this, but it still was difficult for him to comprehend it. He hoped, he truly hoped, that he would be able to somehow convince Bastila to turn away from the Dark Side. Knowing just how emotional his wife was, he planned to use their love as an anchor – anchor towards the Light Side. But after everything that she's been through… Her view on love was severely crippled.

The peace with which she was talking to him was now replaced with anger. And she used that anger to escalate her attacks, aiming for ending Revan's life. He saw it in her eyes – her desire to kill him right there, right then.

He abandoned all thoughts about converting her by words. He was aware that it just wouldn't work. So he adopted a different path.

From defensive he went to offensive, surprising Bastila with that. She was sure that Revan would never raise his hand on her. Which is why she found it difficult in the beginning to defend herself from him. But only in the beginning. Soon, the initial shock was replaced with even greater hatred as Malak's words came true – Revan wanted to kill her.

That realization caused Bastila to double her efforts on breaking the defenses of her husband. Or her ex-husband, for that matter. She kept on delivering powerful blows but her efforts were to no avail, simply because Revan was much quicker with his two lightsabers than she was with the saberstaff.

"You may think I abandoned you," Revan said in between the attacks. "You may think that I left you on _Leviathan_ on your own. But the truth is different." He turned off one of his lightsabers, surprising his opponent. The result was that Bastila's saberstaff hit nothing and she lost her balance. Revan used it to kick her in the ribs, causing her to stumble backward. "But you don't know one thing." When she attacked, Revan blocked her saberstaff with just one lightsaber. He used his other hand to send a Force wave in her direction. "For six days I was lying unconscious, struggling to fight back that bloody poison. Then, I was forced to watch my two most loyal and closest friends being killed." He delivered a series of quick but strong strikes, making it hard for her to defend herself. "I've lost my two friends. But I refuse to lose you as well" he finished, kicking the saberstaff out of her hand.

Bastila, out of desperation, used the Force to defend herself from him. Gripping the stone structures from around her, she sent them flying at the man in front of her. Revan destroyed the figures with ease.

"You've lost me already" Bastila replied through clenched teeth. Using the time Revan sacrificed for defending himself, she reached out with the Force to her saberstaff, calling it back to her hands. She reignited the crimson blades, preparing to continue the fight.

"I haven't" Revan countered. "Even if you deny it, I know that somewhere there, deep inside you, is Bastila I met on Coruscant fifteen years ago. The Bastila I grew to care about and love."

"That Bastila is dead!" she replied angrily, charging at him.

She resumed their fight, once again trying to break through Revan's defenses. As she found out, she was incapable of doing it. Her opponent seemed to guess her each move, reacting with a deadly precision.

Once again, Revan turned off one of his lightsabers and rolled to the side. As he expected, Bastila didn't see that coming and again lost her footing. He stood up right next to her. He gripped her saberstaff, disabling her from attacking him and once again hit her in the ribs. Just as before, the attack wasn't as powerful as to cause her any serious damage, but it forced the air out of her lungs. Revan used his own leg to topple her over. It worked, causing Bastila to hit the ground hard with her back.

Her hatred was now directed at herself as she realized that she couldn't beat him. Revan was standing above her, his red lightsaber still ignited in his hand. He was ready to kill her. Just as Malak told her.

"Do it" she said quietly. "End me now!"

But that thought didn't cross Revan's mind for a split second. There was something that caused him to stop in his tracks, causing him to be unable to move. He could just stand there, right above her.

He saw it now in her eyes. The Bastila he once knew and loved was still out there, buried beneath anger and hatred. But Revan could easily see through it. He could see that deep inside her was a terrified young girl who was severely crippled by the war and her imprisonment.

And there was something else, deep inside of her. He could feel it earlier if he thought about it, but he didn't pay to it so much attention back then.

There, in Bastila's womb, a life was forming. Probing it more with the Force, he realized that it was his child.

He had no idea how it was possible. Of course, he knew how it could have happened but how Bastila was able to carry the child all the way through her torture was a mystery to him.

His wife used the fact that he was motionless for few moments, and toppled him over, using her legs to cut the floor from beneath his feet. He was so focused on his new discovery that he didn't see it coming and fell to the ground, hitting it hard with his back. Few of his bones cracked when his body made contact with the stone floor.

He lifted himself up literally three seconds after the fall, but it was already too late. Bastila was already on her feet and was making her way towards a small ship that was standing at the end of the Temple's roof. He could only watch as his wife fired the engine and fled their battlefield, making her way towards the Star Forge.

Revan raised up when T3 beeped nervously next to him and nudged him in the ribs. He stood up and looked around, taking in his surroundings.

Around the Temple's roof were lying the remnants of stone statues which Bastila used as the missiles against him. He paid them no mind. Instead he walked up to the spot where his wife was standing at the beginning of their encounter.

There, shattered to pieces, was lying her ring which he gave her back on Tatooine. He moved his hand across the pieces. Then, he stretched out his right hand, causing the shards to float above it. Revan closed his eyes and called upon the Force.

After a moment he reopened his eyes and looked at his hand. In his palm was lying the ring that Bastila destroyed a few minutes prior. Revan smiled lightly and placed it in the pocket of his robe, making sure to not lose it.

"Come on, T3," he said to the astromechanical droid. "We've come here for something."

They proceeded towards where Bastila's ship was mere minutes ago. Revan walked up to the terminal and started pressing numerous buttons, working on disabling the disruptor field. T3 beeped next to him.

"I took you for another reason, little one" Revan replied, not looking at the droid. Soon, the terminal let out a series of noises, signalizing that the disruptor field was down. "T3" he addressed his droid. "I need you to remain here." The astromechanical unit let out a series of nervous beeps. "Easy, buddy. Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. I have a mission for you, T3. Take this" he said, handing him a small communicator. "When I give you the signal, I want you to turn on the disruptor field, can you do it for me?" T3 beeped in response. Revan smiled. "I knew I could count on you. Remain in the Temple and wait for my signal."

With that, he turned to walk out from the Rakatan Temple, leaving T3-M4 alone. The droid beeped nervously again.

* * *

Jolee let out a sigh of relief when he noticed Revan coming out from the cliffs. He and the rest of the crew were standing in front of the loading ramp of the Ebon Hawk, waiting for his return.

"Finally, you're back!"Mission exclaimed. "What happened in that Temple? And where is T3" she queried, running up to him. Revan proceeded to walk towards the Ebon Hawk, not stopping next to his companions.

"I've encountered Bastila" he revealed. His mask was muffling his words. "She fled to the Star Forge. T3 was destroyed in the battle" he lied.

"The Star Forge? Bastila?" Mission asked, not believing her ears.

"I told you that would happen" Revan replied, turning around to face the crew. "Malak has broken Bastila, but there is still good in her. She still can be saved."

"Are you sure of that?" Jolee asked, coming close to him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that you might have to make the right decision at the right time. I just hope that your judgment won't be clouded in that moment."

"Trust me, Jolee. I know what I must do. And there is still good in her." _There is my son in her,_ he added in his thoughts. "What's the status of the Republic fleet?"

"Just a few parsecs away" Fox reported. "They should be here in no time."

"Well, let's take off then. Wouldn't want to make them wait, would we?"

* * *

 **Don't ask me. I'm not a doctor, I don't know how she was able to carry his child all the way until now XD. Okay, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did then let me know what you think about it. Purposely I've deleted the motive with the native Rakatans, simply because I was too lazy to include it XD. Also, as you've probably guessed, we're approaching the end of the story. I think that I'll close it in two chapters, so make sure to follow me as an author in order to not miss the sequel, because I'm not going to post an info here when I add the continuation. Okay, see you in the next update.**


	49. Chapter 48

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 48

They left Rakata Prime in time to see the Republic fleet dropping out from the hyperspace. Led by Admiral Forn Dodonna, an armada composed of Hammerhead-class cruisers and Foray-class blockade runners appeared in the Lehon System, steadily approaching the Star Forge.

Revan and the crew, except for Wolfie and Atton who were piloting the Ebon Hawk, were gathered in the main hold around the holoprojector. Everyone was waiting in anticipation for the outcome of what was going to happen. Their quest edging closer to completion.

"I'm picking up a transmission coming from the Republic fleet" Carth announced after playing with the holoprojector for a while. "It is good to know they've received our message. I'm broadcasting them now."

"This is Admiral Forn Dodonna to the Ebon Hawk, do you read us?" a hologram of the Republic leader spoke. Revan made sure to remain out of sight. Dodonna, after all, was one of the not many people who could recognize him even without his mask.

"Admiral Dodonna, this is Carth Onasi. We are receiving your transmission" the Republic pilot replied, straightening up. He intertwined his hands behind his back.

"Carth, I'm glad to see you're still alive. We've begun our assault on the Star Forge, but we're taking heavy losses. How did the Sith ever manage to build something of this scope?"

"The Star Forge wasn't constructed by the Sith, Admiral. We don't have time for me to fully explain it, but that space station is far older than you can imagine."

"Maybe we should pull the fleet back and retreat" Dodonna suggested. "I don't know if we have the firepower to go up against this alien technology."

"You can't do that, Admiral" Carth objected. "The Star Forge is a factory of immense power. It's been churning out the capital ships, snub fighters and assault droids that have powered the Sith war effort. You have to destroy the Star Forge now or you'll be fighting an unending wave of reinforcements."

"Then I guess we have no choice" Dodonna commented, directing it more to herself than anyone else. "But it isn't going to be easy. I can't even get our capital ships into position to start bombarding the Star Forge" she complained. "The Sith fleet is too well organized. It's like they can guess our every move and counter our every strategy!"

"It's because of Bastila, Admiral" Carth replied, earning a surprised gasp from his conversationalist.

"Bastila? It's impossible! She's on our side!" Dodonna exclaimed.

"Not anymore, Admiral" Carth countered. "She turned to the Dark Side and became Malak's apprentice. We suspect she's somewhere on that space station right now, using her Battle Meditation against you and your fleet."

The Admiral frowned at that and looked at her feet. She seemed to be thinking hard about what she's just heard. After few seconds she stepped aside, allowing another person to appear in the holoprojector.

"This is Master Vandar" she introduced the small figure. "He, alongside other Jedi Masters of the Order, including Grand Master Atris and a number of Jedi Knights have joined our fleet, aiming to support us in this battle. He's one of only two survivors of Dantooine's massacre."

"If Bastila is using her power to augment the Sith then Malak's fleet is invincible" he commented, not looking at those he was speaking to. "Our only hope is to somehow stop Bastila from using her Battle Meditation."

"How can we do that if she's on the space station?" Admiral queried.

Revan interfered in the conversation at that point. Removing his mask, he walked up to the holoprojector, allowing those on the other side to see him. He knew it was a risk, but there's been some time since Forn saw him last. And since that time, he changed a bit.

"This is something I can take care of, Admiral" Revan replied, mimicking Carth's pose. "Master" he acknowledged Vandar. "With your permission, I'll land on the Star Forge and find Bastila. Otherwise, we are doomed to fail." _May we speak in private, Master?_ Revan asked in his thoughts, hoping that Master Vandar would hear him

"I will send a squadron of Jedi Knights to the Star Forge to accompany you, then. Their small ships will be able to fly through the Sith blockade and dock on the space station. If you manage to find Bastila, you may be able to distract her attention from the battle overhead" he replied. "That should allow you to move your capital ships into position for a final assault on the Star Forge itself, Admiral," Vandar said, addressing the woman next to him. _What is it, Revan?_ The former Dark Lord heard Jedi Master's voice in his head.

"That's a good idea, Master. If we want to board the Star Forge, we will be needing a distraction. Otherwise, their artillery will blow us out from the sky in no time." _Is Atris truly here?_

"Then may the Force be with you." _Yes. She's on the second ship._

The holoprojector went dead but everyone remained in their places, engaging in some sort of conversation. Revan stayed focused on his mental connection with Master Tokare.

 _I'll bring Bastila back, Master Vandar,_ he said sternly. _I won't give up on her. She can still be saved._

 _I believe you,_ the Jedi Master replied. _Light is in all of us. No one is ever beyond saving._

 _I'll send her back to the Republic fleet once I convince her. I beg you, Master, help her. She's been through a lot recently, so don't judge her for her fall. And most of all, do not allow Atris to get to her. She will want to take vengeance on her for Vrook's death._

 _So it is true, then,_ Vandar commented. _Vrook truly is dead._

 _Yes,_ Revan replied, _I slew him and Kavar on Korriban. But that's not the point. I'm asking you to help her because she's been through something not many can imagine. Do not blame her for her fall, because no one would be able to survive what she's been through and walk out from that unharmed. She'll be needing all the medical and mental help she can get to get past through it. I trust you, Master, which is why I believe you will be able to help her. I would do it myself, but… Today is the day I told you about. Today the Republic must stand aside._

Master Vandar said nothing to that. Revan was wandering for a moment if he was even still listening to him.

 _Are you sure of that?_ He asked after few moments of silence.

 _Absolutely, Master,_ Revan replied. _Today is the day the war ends. My Empire will disappear from the Republic Space and I must go with them. Once again, please, take care of Bastila._

 _I will,_ Vandar promised. Revan let out a sigh of relief.

 _Thank you, Master. Now, I have to go complete the unfinished business with my former apprentice,_ he said, breaking the link between them.

"Prepare yourselves!" Revan announced. "We're approaching the Star Forge now!"

Everyone walked to the cockpit now, wanting to see the infamous space station. As they were getting closer and closer, the Star Forge was getting bigger and bigger, eclipsing everything around. Now, no one of them was actually able to see the full space station – only the hangar, which they were steadily approaching.

"Steady as she goes, Atton," Wolfie said, focusing on the task at hand. The Ebon Hawk was being accompanied by many smaller starfighters. Many of them were already blown out from the sky, leaving only a few ships to help the Ebon Hawk.

Their ship shook violently when another starfighter exploded right next to them. Some of the crew members held their breaths as if in fear of being shot down themselves.

Luckily, nothing like that has happened. Soon, the Ebon Hawk started to lose its speed. They heard the characteristic hiss of air coming out from the air brakes. Wolfie proceeded to press numerous buttons in order to extend the chassis. The Ebon Hawk lost all of its velocity and bounced once up and down when it rested on the landing gear.

They were inside of the hangar.

"Fox, Wolfie, Atton, and HK will go with me" Revan announced, leaving the cockpit. "The rest stays on the Ebon Hawk. This is our only way out from the Star Forge" he said in a tone that left no place for argument.

Revan and those he appointed went to the loading ramp waiting for it to drop down. The former Dark Lord put his mask back on.

As soon as the loading ramp was down, they ran out from the Ebon Hawk. Revan ignited his lightsabers in the process, passing by the members of the Jedi strike teams. They were engaged in a combat with the Dark Jedi. Fighters on both sides stopped in their tracks when they saw a man wearing the characteristic red mask.

Revan used their distraction to cut down the Dark Jedi. He ignored the surprised and terrified looks he received from the Jedi who were in the hangar and made his way deeper into the Main Deck; his soldiers were following him closely behind.

They were running alongside the narrow bridges, so far encountering no resistance. This quickly changed, though, when from the nearby halls the war droids emerged. They were similar to those they met on Manaan. Revan groaned in frustration. He really didn't want to have to fight against them, simply because he considered it to be a waste of good soldiers, but he had no other options.

He and his men quickly defeated the droids and continued along, turning right on the fork in the road. They ran alongside the narrow metal bridges, causing the loud echo to spread across the Main Deck. Revan could feel a cough slowly returning. He cleared his throat in an attempt to delay its assault on his air passages. It was the worst moment for it to return.

He wasn't paying much attention to the soldiers, droids and the Dark Jedi they were encountering during their run. Some were killed by him and the rest were taken care of by his men and his assassin droid. That way they cleared the entire Main Deck and managed to get towards the elevator that was leading to the Command Center. There, as Revan sensed, Bastila was waiting.

"My Lord" Fox called him, attracting his attention.

"What is it?"

"Perhaps you may want to come here," his soldier said from in front of one of the smaller rooms that were located on the Main Deck. That room was filled with the computer terminals only.

"What's so special here?" he asked. He hated to waste any more time.

"The thickener will soon disappear from your blood" Fox stated. "Remember what we said about your armor?"

"It was destroyed" Revan replied.

"But it can be remade" Fox countered. "You created it here. The computers should contain the data in the storage concerning your armor. If so, you should be able to create it again. And perhaps it will save your life."

Revan thought about it for a second. He didn't want to lose more time than he already had, but his soldier was right. He could feel a cough growing in his lungs, threatening to erupt in any second.

Making a decision, he nodded his head and entered the computer room. It was a small chamber containing three computers. He walked up to the middle one.

It was just as he remembered it. And the interface seemed to remember him as well. Revan searched through the database of the computer, checking its history of usage. Searching through the time period when he was the Dark Lord of the Sith, he indeed found the data concerning his armor. Smiling, he clicked few buttons and soon the container that was standing at the far end of the room flashed with light. When the light faded away, the perfect replica of his well-known armor was floating in the container, waiting for him to wear it.

Revan's smile grew, though it was unnoticed because of his mask that was still covering his features. He walked up to the container and picked up his robes. Now, he truly felt at home. He dressed up quickly, discarding his previous robes.

"Let's go," he said to his followers after leaving the computer room. The group of five proceeded towards the elevator that was at the far end of the corridor.

* * *

"We've lost contact with the Main Deck, Admiral Sommos" one of the Intel Officers reported. The Admiral cursed silently under her nose.

"What about the cameras? Do you have the live footage?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, Admiral, all cameras were destroyed."

"Admiral, someone is using the elevator and is heading to the Command Center!"

Before she could react in any way, the elevator doors opened themselves. In a blink of an eye, two lightsabers flew out from the elevator, chopping off heads of the soldiers who were standing on guard in the Command Center. Their lifeless bodies fell to the floor with a loud thump.

"Admiral Sommos," a voice said. The voice she knew perfectly well.

"Lord Revan" she replied, bowing deeply. Trembling slightly in fear, she looked up to see that in fact, Darth Revan was standing in front of her.

"You may rise, Admiral," Revan said. Noma did just that. "It's good to be home, Admiral. I'm reclaiming the Star Forge and I will gladly welcome you back to my service."

"Of course, my Lord?" she replied, bowing again. She straightened up quickly and took a formal pose. "What are your orders, My Lord?"

"I'm going for Malak now" Revan replied. "I'll teach that treachery scum the lesson he deserves. Also, tell my fleet to disengage and prepare the Star Forge for the jump into hyperspace. The war with the Republic is over."

"My Lord?"

"You heard me, Admiral. The fleet must disengage. Order the ships to make the jump to Onderon and prepare the Star Forge to make the same jump."

"My Lord, with all due respect, we don't know how the hyperdrive works. It can be risky, to say the least, to jump into hyperspace."

"This station is capable of working on three hundred percent of its capacity. Surely, it must be able to make a jump at such a short distance. Also, there is a ship on the Main Deck. Its signature is 34-P7JK. It is bound to leave the Star Forge unharmed. I'm not going to take it lightly if it will be blown out in the battle, understood?"

"Understood, My Lord" Noma Sommos replied. She looked at the Intel staff who were watching her, not knowing what to do. "Well, you heard Lord Revan. Do as you've been told to."

"Take this if you'll want to contact me, Admiral," Revan said, giving her the communicator. "Also, do not inform the fleet about the shift of power. I'll inform my Empire myself as soon as I'm done with my former apprentice. I'll leave my men with you, just to be sure you won't try anything stupid. Stay here" he addressed Fox, Wolfie, Atton, and HK.

With that, he left the Command Center and proceeded towards the room where Bastila was waiting.

* * *

"Revan, I knew you'd come for me" Bastila commented, not looking at him. She was sitting at the holoprojector that was displaying a hologram of the Star Forge and the ships surrounding it.

"I would never give up on you, Bastila" Revan replied. "I know you can still be saved."

"I've seen the Jedi for what they are: weak and afraid. There is nothing you can do to make me return to the Order" she countered, standing up. She still wasn't facing him. Slowly, she ignited the saberstaff that was, until now, resting, attached to her belt.

She closed the distance between them by jumping high into the air and landing right in front of him. Revan ignited his own lightsabers just in time to block Bastila's attacks. The two engaged in a ferocious duel – Bastila was the one who kept on attacking. Revan's recent discovery made it impossible for him to deliver any blow in fear of hurting her. He would not risk that much.

Bastila could easily see that Revan wasn't trying to attack her at all. She clenched her teeth, aiming for ending the life of her opponent. The fact that, once again, she couldn't break through his defenses angered her even more.

The young Talravinian woman kept on delivering powerful slashes at Revan that would have easily killed him if he didn't keep on defending himself. Which was rather easy due to the fact that he was using two lightsabers. Countless times in his life, it proved to be very efficient against the saberstaff users.

Surprising him, Bastila brought her heel high into the air, kicking him into the masked face. Revan stumbled backward, trying to regain his footage. He did it just in time to block another assault from his wife. She used the Force Wave to push him back. She succeeded in doing that and, as the result, Revan was sent against the holoprojector, hitting it with his back. His spine cracked loudly after hitting the metal.

"You were a fool to give up all your power and follow the Light Side," Bastila said, sounding unnaturally peaceful. Her eyes were burning with hateful gold. She used the Force to grab parts of the ceiling that were hanging freely. She sent them flying at Revan.

"There is no more Light Side or Dark Side for me" Revan replied, deflecting the metal parts with ease.

"The Dark Side made me stronger than I ever was before" Bastila countered, attempting to grip him in the Force. Her effort came to no avail.

"I don't want to fight you anymore, Bastila," Revan said, neglecting her Force attack.

"Eventually there'll be no limits to what I can accomplish with the Force!" she exclaimed, trying to attack him again. Once again, her effort came to no avail.

"Malak will never let you become that powerful" Revan countered, turning off his lightsaber. "He will kill you first!" he tried to reason with her. Bastila laughed humorlessly at that.

"Have you forgotten the ways of the Sith already, Revan?" she asked, shaking her head. "Eventually, I will challenge my master. If I'm worthy, he'll die by my hand and I will become the new Sith Master! Then I'll take on my own apprentice and the cycle will begin again. But you won't live long enough to see it!" she exclaimed, raising her blade back to the fighting stance.

"Then go on" Revan urged her. Both of his lightsabers were now turned off, clipped to his belt "Kill me now, Bastila. Show me what kind of a Sith you are!"

Her eyes refilled with hatred. She raised her blade at the height of the neck, aiming for decapitating him in one swift strike. She hauled off and dropped her saberstaff. Revan closed his eyes, preparing for the hit that was going to separate his head from the rest of his body

The hit didn't come, though. Something held her off, making her stop the blade just a few centimeters from his neck. At that time, Bastila couldn't tell what stopped her. It wasn't the Force because she didn't feel a blockade created by her opponent. It was something stopping her from the inside, making her incapable of moving the saberstaff few centimeters in the left.

Revan knew he was risking a lot, but it was a risk he was willing to take in order to get his wife back. He could feel the heat of her lightsaber literally three centimeters away from his neck. Slowly, he raised up his hands to remove his mask.

Bastila watched as Revan revealed his face to her. She looked into his eyes, seeing nothing but… love, as she realized after a moment. And it was directed at her.

"Why?" she asked after a moment of staying in that position. "Why can't I kill you?"

"You know why" Revan replied softly. He made a risk by taking a step forward. As he expected, Bastila's blade didn't get closer to his skin. "And you can't deny it."

Revan watched gratefully as Bastila's eyes slowly began to turn back to grey. They glazed over.

"I love you, Bastila," he said, risking another step forward. She did not back away. "And I know you love me." He raised his gloved hand to rest it on her cheek.

"How can you love me?" she asked. Her eyes were closed and from beneath her eyelids, tears were streaming down. "How can you love me after all I've done?"

"I should be the one asking this question" Revan replied with a smile. "And there is nothing you could do that would make me stop loving you, Bastila. You're the only person in the Galaxy I can love sincerely. You are my wife, Bastila" he finished, lifting his other hand. She looked down to see the ring in his palm. The same one she destroyed in the Temple.

Bastila gasped slightly and looked up. When she did, she felt Revan's warm lips on her own. All thoughts about killing him evaporated from her mind instantly.

"You still want me?" she asked after they separated. Her voice came in a whisper.

"I never stopped wanting you" Revan replied. He moved his hand to put on the ring on Bastila's fourth finger. She accepted it hesitantly. "I never stopped, and never will stop loving you, Bastila."

Tears were now freely running down her cheeks. Revan used his fingers to wipe them out. He kissed her lightly on the lips again.

"Go to the hangar," he told her, holding her by her shoulders. "Carth is waiting there in the Ebon Hawk. From there, you'll make it safely to the Republic fleet. Master Vandar will take care of you."

"And what about you?" she asked, looking him in the eyes.

"I have to deal with Malak" Revan replied.

"Will I ever see you again?" Bastila queried, seeing past his words.

"I really hope so" he answered honestly. Bastila's lower lip trembled and her eyes refilled with tears.

"Go," Revan said after giving her one last kiss. Unwillingly, Bastila complied, running out from the Command Center to the elevator that would take her straight to the hangar. When she disappeared, Revan turned on his communicator.

"Jolee, do you hear me?" he asked, waiting for the reply.

"I hear you" the old man answered.

"Bastila is heading towards the Ebon Hawk, unarmed. Once she's on the ship, leave the Star Forge and take her to the Republic fleet. Master Vandar will be waiting for her. And be there for her, Jolee. She'll be needing as much help as she can get. And give me Mission and Carth."

"I will." There were some noises on the other side and soon Revan heard Mission's voice.

"What is it?" she asked concerned.

"Mission, Bastila will be needing your help. You're a kind woman and she'll need such kindness. Be there for her as you have been for me on Korriban, okay?"

"Okay" she replied hesitantly, not fully understanding what Revan meant.

"Carth" he addressed the pilot. "I tried to entrust as little to your safekeeping as I could during our quest, because, in my opinion, you're a fucking imbecile. But you're a good man, Carth" he added before the pilot could reply in any way. "And I trust you to take my wife and the rest safely back to the Republic. Revan out" he finished, not waiting for an answer.

Now, he was ready to face Malak.

* * *

 **Okay, that's it for today. Eh, the encounter with Noma Sommos and the Star Forge, in general, looked much better in my head XD. And no, I'm not 100% sure if the Star Forge had a hyperdrive, but if the Death Star had, why the Star Forge wouldn't? Sorry if this chapter seemed pretty lame but I just had no idea how to write some parts. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it. As always, leave a review. See you in the next update, which, most probably, will be the last one in this story ;)**


	50. Chapter 49

**Honestly, I didn't think that I would manage to finish it before the year's end and in fact, I didn't XD. But I'm late only 10 minutes, so... forgive me XD. Happy new year, guys, and enjoy the last chapter of 'Price of the Sacrifice'.  
**

 _Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

Chapter 49

"Admiral! Admiral!" one of the Lieutenants shouted.

"What is it?" Dodonna asked, focused on the hologram that displayed the battle.

"We managed to break through the Sith blockade. Their fleet seemed to disengage. More and more of their cruisers are jumping into hyperspace."

"What?"

"We started to break through their defenses. Then, their starfighters began retreating towards their capital ships and those started to jump into hyperspace."

"Do we know their destination?" Admiral asked, studying the hologram closer. In fact, some of their enemy's ships indeed disappeared in the hyperspace.

"No, Admiral."

"Send part of our fleet back to the Core Worlds!" Dodonna ordered. "This may be their plan to use our attack to conquer the Republic."

"Right away, Admiral."

"What's happening, Master?" she asked Vandar who was standing right next to her, observing the hologram of the battle.

"Bastila is no longer supporting the Sith with her Battle Meditation" he observed, stroking his nonexistent beard.

"Can it be?"

"Admiral!"

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"There is a ship coming out from the Star Forge. It's sending the request to land in our hangars."

"Show me this" she ordered, coming closer to the Lieutenant. The man zoomed in the area on the hologram on which the ship could be seen. Admiral Dodonna blinked twice, not believing what she saw.

"That's the Ebon Hawk," she observed. "Allow them to land" she ordered.

"Right away, Admiral."

* * *

"My Lord, the fleet is disengaging, as you commanded" Noma Sommos reported through the communicator. "I'm asking for permission to speak freely, My Lord."

"Permission granted, Admiral" Revan replied, making his way further into the Command Center.

"I must speak my objections. Without the cruisers, we won't be able to protect ourselves from the Republic assault. The Star Forge's artillery won't be enough to take down their flagships. Without the blockade from the Interdictor-class cruisers, their ships will crawl around us and shot us down from the orbit."

"Don't worry, Admiral" Revan replied. "I have it covered. Focus on preparing the Star Forge to make the jump into hyperspace. Leave the Republic fleet to me."

"Of course, My Lord. Admiral Sommos out" Admiral replied, cutting off the connection.

Soon, Revan found himself in front of the elevator that would take him straight to the Viewing Platform. He cut down the soldiers and the Dark Jedi who were standing in his way. He sensed Malak's presence approaching. Revan stopped in his tracks, literally few meters before the elevator. He turned around.

"Revan" Malak acknowledged him. The former Dark Lord ignited both of his lightsabers.

* * *

"It's good to see you alive, Carth" Admiral Dodonna greeted the pilot when the, now smaller, crew left the Ebon Hawk. "Bastila" she acknowledged the young woman. When the redeemed Padawan stepped out from the loading ramp, two soldiers ran up to her immediately, carrying handcuffs. "With your permission, My Lady," she said in a mocking tone. "Cuff her up and lead her to the detention block" Dodonna ordered to the two soldiers.

Bastila was too shocked to do anything. She could only comply. Her eyes glazed over and her lower lip trembled when she felt the cold metal on her wrists. Her fear only deepened when a neural disruptor was locked around her neck. The nightmare from the past week seemed to return.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Carth asked outraged. The two soldiers began to lead Bastila away from the Ebon Hawk. She looked behind, pleading for help with her eyes. She couldn't force a single word from her throat.

"Know your place, Carth" Dodonna replied. "Bastila is guilty of confederating with Malak and his Sith Empire. And a treason is punished with death. She should be grateful that she wasn't executed just yet, but the Jedi Masters insisted on judging her on their own."

"Just because of one act she's branded a traitor?!" Mission interfered, fully outraged. "And all her past deeds have already been forgotten? From what I know, she helped you win quite a few battles in this war with that Battle Meditation of hers. And the fact that she's the one who captured Darth Revan himself doesn't matter anymore?!"

"Be careful, child" Dodonna warned her, pointing her finger at the Twi'lek girl. "You might have aided the Jedi in finding the Star Forge, but you're not a part of the Republic military. Which is why I suggest you mark your words or you shall regret your behavior."

"What? Are you going to lock me up, Mrs. High-and-Mighty?"

"Mission, calm down" Carth tried to ease her mind. She brushed off his hand angrily.

"No!" she objected. "This isn't fair! You can't judge someone by only one mistake!"

"That mistake cost us seven ships and few thousand men today!" Admiral Dodonna countered, stamping her leg, signalizing that the discussion was over. "Many of those who died had their families that are still waiting for them. Do you want to be the one to deliver them the news about the deaths of their beloved ones? I'm intrigued if then you would be so mouthy as well. I think not. Lieutenant" she addressed one of the soldiers who was standing next to her. "Show our guests their quarters. I'm sure they deserved a compensation for their heroic deeds in the war. I must return to the bridge."

"Of course, Admiral."

* * *

"Well done, Revan. I was certain that defenses of the Star Forge would destroy you. But I see there is more of your former self than I expected" Malak said, igniting his own red lightsaber. "You are stronger than I thought. Stronger than you ever were during your reign as the Dark Lord. I did not think that was possible" he admitted.

"You're still making a mistake of underestimating me, Malak. Just as you did after Telos IV" Revan replied, watching carefully each move of his opponent. "And just like after Telos IV, I'll have to teach you a lesson."

"Once you were stronger than me, Revan" Malak admitted. "But as your apprentice, I surpassed you. The Master must always be stronger than the apprentice. That is why I betrayed you. You'd be a far greater asset to me than even Bastila and her Battle Meditation! If only I could control you" Malak added, steadily approaching his former best friend. Revan huffed at that.

"You couldn't even control your last apprentice. Despite everything you've done to her, despite all the lies you've poisoned her mind with, you failed to keep control over her. What makes you think you could control me? And for all you've done to her, I'll make you pay with your blood."

"We shall see about that, Revan" Malak replied.

Closing the distance between them, Malak jumped at Revan, clashing their lightsabers together. The empty corridor was filled with the noises of two blades colliding. The duel turned out to be more even than either of them expected. Malak's incredible physic granted him blows that were powerful and heavy, forcing Revan to use both of his lightsabers for a defense. He, on the other hand, was capable of delivering his own strikes every now and then that were precise and deadly if they hit their target.

Their duel moved towards the corridor which Revan just abandoned, furthering away from the elevator. Outside the window, the starfighters were being produced – the Star Forge continuing on its production of the fleet.

"I must say I didn't expect to see you on the Star Forge again, Revan," Malak said between the blows. "As well as I haven't expected Noma Sommos to betray me so easily. Once I'm done with you, I'll deal with her treachery. Then, I'll move my armada further into the Republic and I'll crush them once and for all. Then, I shall retake Bastila and punish her for her betrayal as well."

"You have to kill me first" Revan countered, blocking another slice and attempting to cut Malak in the arm. His former apprentice managed to deflect it.

Malak kicked Revan in the face, causing him to stumble backward. Creating a hole in the window nearby, Malak jumped through it, landing on the starfighter that took him at the higher level. Revan was shortly behind him. He caught up with his opponent, landing on the same starfighter. Once again, they engaged in a combat.

They exchanged blows after blows until they reached the level on which the Viewing Platform was located. After a failed attempt to push Revan out from the starfighter, Malak jumped backward, returning to the place from which he had a clear view of the battle outside the Star Forge. The Republic fleet was approaching them.

"You are a fool Revan" Malak said, blocking the blows of his opponent. "All you ever saw in the Star Forge was a massive factory that could be used only to crush the Republic. While in fact, the Star Forge is more like a living being. It feeds on the anger and the Dark Side."

"You think I don't know it" Revan countered, dashing away to avoid being cut in half. "You think I don't know what the Star Forge is truly capable of?"

"If you knew then you're even a bigger fool than I thought!"

The two engaged in a duel again. Revan bowed down to avoid yet another Malak's slice. He straightened up quickly and delivered his own blow before his opponent could react. His former best friend stumbled backward as he failed to block that attack. Instinctively, he brought his free hand to the spot where Revan's lightsaber hit him. Yet he didn't feel any pain.

Just as a year before, Malak lost his jaw to Revan's cut. His metallic prosthesis fell to the floor with a loud thump. Malak's eyes filled with hatred as he was humiliated by Revan again.

He roared in anger and charged at his opponent, aiming for decapitating him in one swift strike. He failed at accomplishing that as Revan managed to block his attacks with ease.

Adopting a different tactic, Malak pushed Revan with the Force, sending him at the far end of the Viewing Platform. Revan managed to regain his stance while still being in the air. He landed on the metal floor with grace, reigniting his lightsabers.

Malak used the fact that Revan was far from him and attempted to crush him with the durasteel containers that were standing in different spots of the Viewing Platform. The former Dark Lord dashed away from the first missile and jumped over the next one. Intercepting it with the Force, Revan sent it back at his opponent. Malak jumped away, avoiding it with ease.

Reigniting his lightsaber, Malak jumped back to his former apprentice. Their blades clashed for a hundredth time that day. The two proceeded to exchange blows after blows, aiming for breaking each other's defenses. The Star Forge shook violently when the Republic fleet began to fire at it.

"My Lord, the enemy's fleet charged at us. They are targeting our main orbital stabilizers!" Admiral Sommos reported; fear as clear as day in her voice. Revan pushed Malak back with the Force, changing the channel in his communicator.

"T3, now!" he exclaimed, addressing the droid that was remaining in the Temple on Rakata Prime. He hoped that he would hear him.

* * *

"Admiral Dodonna, we've hit their main orbital stabilizers!" commander of the Green Squadron reported. Forn sighed with relief.

"Everyone pull back" she ordered. "I don't want to lose any more ships when that space station goes down." She turned off the communicator. "We did it, Vandar. The Sith are ruptured!" she told the small Jedi Master who was standing next to her.

"We did indeed, Admiral" he replied absentmindedly. _Hurry up, Revan,_ he added in his mind, knowing that he wouldn't hear him.

* * *

On the Viewing Platform, the duel continued on. The Star Forge was shaking more and more as the Republic fleet was bombarding it. _Come on, T3, don't fail me now,_ Revan begged in his thoughts while keeping on attacking and blocking Malak's attacks.

"Your brilliant plan failed, Revan," Malak said with a hint of mockery in his voice. "Even if you kill me now, you will go down with the Star Forge!"

"We'll see about that."

* * *

"That's it" Admiral Sommos snapped. "Officer, I order the immediate evacuation. Head for the escape pods and all the ships that are in the hangars!"

"No, Admiral" Fox interjected, pointing his rifle at her to emphasize his words. "Stay where you are."

"Are you an idiot?" she snapped at him, turning around to face him. "This whole station is going to blow up and we will perish with it if we don't act now. We must evacuate!"

"I'm not an idiot, I'm a loyal soldier who's doing as he was told to" Fox replied, taking a better aim at Admiral. "And I recommend you to do the same or you'll go down sooner than the Star Forge."

This worked on Noma who sat back down in her seat, clenching her teeth.

"What's the status of our shields?"

"Down to twenty-eight percent" Officer reported.

"The hyperdrive?"

"Ready in seventy-five percent."

"I only hope that Lord Revan knows what he's doing" she muttered under her breath.

* * *

"Concentrate all firepower on those stabilizers!" Dodonna ordered. "Their shields should break down soon."

"Right away, Admiral."

It was then that something unexpected happened. Suddenly, all the electricity on the ship went down; the emergency power supply came to life, surrounding everything in an orange light. The Hammerhead-class cruiser shook lightly.

"What happened?" Dodonna asked, surprised. She looked frantically around as if searching for an answer. The Intel Officers around her were checking on the ship's status.

"We don't know, Admiral" one of them reported. "Our main power conduit just went down. It seems that the same thing happened with all the other ships."

"What about our artillery?"

"Disabled, Admiral. And… we seem to be losing the orbital velocity. Our engines are dropping power."

"Pull back our ships immediately!" Dodonna ordered. "If we lose the orbital velocity…"

"Then we're going to either crush against the Star Forge or burn on the star beneath us" the Officer finished for her.

* * *

"Admiral Sommos, their ships have lost all their power!" Lieutenant reported, not believing what he saw at the hologram.

"What?" Noma asked just as surprised as the man who gave the report. "How that happened?"

"We're working on it" Lieutenant replied, pressing numerous buttons on the keyboard. "It seems that… It seems that the disruptor field was enabled" he reported after a while.

"But this can only be done manually from the planet" Admiral countered.

"Apparently, that's what happened, Admiral."

* * *

They both felt it. The sudden silence and calmness outside the Star Forge. The Republic fleet has stopped its assault. Revan smirked beneath his mask.

"Here's an information for you, Malak," he said, resuming his attacks. "The Star Forge is not going down. I'm reclaiming it."

His opponent roared in anger and charged at him with a doubled ferocity. Revan clenched his teeth, focusing on protecting himself from the powerful blows. Using the tactic with which he defeated Bastila in the Temple, Revan turned off his lightsabers and rolled to the side, causing Malak to hit an empty space. The Dark Lord lost his footing and stumbled forward. His former best friend used the fact that his opponent was distracted and sent the Force Lightning, directing it at his back.

Malak screamed in pain as the Lightning pierced through his armor and made the contact with his skin. Some of the Lightning that was attracted by the metal device on Malak's collar made its way towards his neck, damaging for good his speech synthesizer.

The Dark Lord turned around – his eyes were filled with even more hatred. Now, he was unable of creating any sound at all. He charged at his opponent once again, clashing his crimson lightsaber with Revan's blue and red ones.

Gathering his hatred, Malak sent a Force Wave in Revan's direction, once again sending him a few meters backward. His former best friend didn't lose his footing. He glided on the metal floor, neglecting Malak's futile attempt on catching him by surprise.

Revan accelerated his moves with the Force and charged at his enemy again. This time, he was the one leading the assault, delivering swift and precise strikes at different parts of Malak's body, attempting to harm him somehow. Malak was able to block his strikes, but not without breaking a sweat. After cutting off his prosthesis, the Dark Lord of the Sith was forced to breathe through nose, what was rather difficult in the middle of combat. But he kept on fighting, refusing to give Revan the upper hand.

Revan grabbed with the Force one of the containers that were standing at the wall and sent it flying at Malak. This way, he managed to attract his former best friend's attention for the time he needed to finish him off. When the Dark Lord was deflecting the object sent to him, Revan jumped over him, landing behind his back. Before Malak could turn around, Revan pierced both his legs with the lightsabers. He wouldn't guarantee him a quick death. He certainly didn't deserve that.

Malak would have undoubtedly screamed in pain if the speech synthesizer wasn't destroyed. He fell to his knees; the blood was sipping out from his legs. His lightsaber rolled away from his grasp.

"You didn't think I would give you a quick death, did you?" Revan asked, not hoping for a reply. "You didn't deserve that. I treated you too lightly after your disobedience on Telos IV. I shall treat you now accordingly to all of your betrayals!"

With that, he unleashed another storm of Force Lightning at the man who used to be his best friend. This time it was far more powerful, though. Malak was shaking violently on the floor, suffering under Revan's wrath. At some point, even his skeleton was visible for a split second.

Revan stopped when the smoke started to rise from the Dark Lord's body. Malak was unable to move.

"You thought I wasn't strong enough" Revan commented, coming to him. His voice was filled with hatred. "I'll gladly show you just how mistaken you were," he said, gripping Malak with his hands. He held firmly his head, sending another, yet a little weaker Force Lightning that was now seriously damaging his brain. Escalating his physical strength with the Force, he threw Malak at the far end of the Viewing Platform. His bones cracked loudly when his back hit the metal barriers. His body collapsed limply on the floor.

"You surely took pleasure from torturing Bastila," Revan said, closing the distance between them. "I'll gladly pay you back!" he hissed, bringing his lightsaber down to cut off Malak's hand. He sensed the pain from his former best friend, yet he ignored it. Nothing would make him show Malak any hint of mercy.

Revan ripped out a piece of the metal barrier that was standing right behind Malak. In a powerful thrust, he dove it right into his body, piercing his lung, just as he did to him back on Leviathan.

It was then that Malak looked at him. Yet his gaze was different. It wasn't filled with hatred anymore – the best evidence for that were his eyes – no longer gold but blue. For the first time in his life, Revan saw tears in his former best friend's eyes. And behind those tears was hidden one message – an apology. Even if he couldn't speak, Malak was indeed sorry. For what, Revan didn't know. But he saw it there.

In an act of mercy, which he wouldn't muster up if he didn't receive that look, Revan decapitated Malak in a one swift cut, separating his head from his body. His head rolled around on the floor. Revan didn't pay it much attention. He walked away, leaving Malak's body pierced to the wall behind him.

"Admiral Sommos," he said through the communicator. "What's the status of the battle outside?"

"The Republic fleet is disengaging" Noma reported back. "All their electricity was destroyed by the disruptor field. I guess it was your plan all along?"

"It was indeed, Admiral" Revan replied. "Now, enable the stealth generators and jump into hyperspace. The war with the Republic is over." He turned off his communicator and hid it in his pocket. He walked up the stairs, straight to the window of the Viewing Platform, passing by Malak's body. He would get rid of it soon. _I'm sorry, Bastila,_ he told through their Bond before the Star Forge left the Lehon System, disappearing in the hyperspace.

 _I'm sorry, Bastila,_ she heard in her head. She was sitting in one of the cells in the detention block on board of the Republic ship. She chuckled humorlessly when the irony of the situation caught up with her.

A perfect twentieth birthday gift.

The End

* * *

 **Woah, guys, this is the end, I hope you enjoyed it. I apologize for all my mistakes and some stupidities that happened in this story but, as I said, I'm a beginner when it comes to writing. I promise that I'll try to do better in the next stories. I really hope that more of you will write a comment now that the story is over. At this point, I want to thank all of you who reviewed, especially to JourneyRocks13 and Aggiefan15 because they were those who left most of the reviews. Their words of encouragement kept pushing me on through the past year and I'm really counting on their support when I will be writing the sequel. But I also thank all others, that is Kirito1993, god of all, Nariem, josephguy217, SurprisinglyStillActive, alertpoet91, THEKILLER742, andrei666999666, Sehri, Akshka, Reaperghostrider, davyrockett100, inferno1897, HistoricalPJOFan, RevanFanatic, , Maul, God'sMan316, sabrac1, Revan009, Serdancos (yes, I've made the effort to write down all of those who commented XD) and all the guests who left anonymous reviews as well. Thanks for 50000 views, a positive feedback, and the criticism as well and I really hope to see all of you, and hopefully someone else, in the sequel that will be entitled 'The Tragedy of Revan' and will come out, most probably, on the next weekend. See you, guys!**


	51. ANNOUNCEMENT

**Just a little announcement: THE SEQUEL IS UP! So make sure to check it out if you haven't done it already! It's on my profile, titled 'The Tragedy of Revan'.  
**


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